Jonathan Meyer.

When I started with the newspaper in March, approaching strangers seemed like a very daunting task. Before diving into local journalism, you probably wouldn’t see me striking up a conversation with someone I wasn’t familiar with. I wouldn’t describe myself as someone with social anxiety nor am I diagnosed with such disorder. I’m not a doctor, phycologist, or therapist, I barely received a high school diploma a year ago. With that in mind, here’s five ways I’ve gotten better at talking to strangers.

1: Carry a man-purse

You heard that right! I wouldn’t necessarily call my camera bag a man purse, but my sister and all of her friends definitely do, so it’s become a staple at this point. Knowing straight off the bat that you don’t fit into typical social conventions has lightened the load that is interviewing many unfamiliar people. When I have my purse at my side, I know I can fall back on my journalistic skills in any situation.

2: Confidence is key

The only way to rock a sweet Nikon branded purse is to carry it with pride. Make it seem like you’re really really important. Walk into every situation with positivity and a stupid amount of confidence. All traits and characteristics stem from how much confidence you display.

3: Prepare

As my hero Ron Burgundy once whispered into my ear, “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail.” After Ron dropped this small but powerful piece of knowledge into my brain, I’ve never been the same. Before any social encounter I can be seen frantically writing in my notebook, page after page of possible questions and preparing for every situation imaginable.

4: Look the part

While in high school, I could be seen in what I would call my standard outfit, a 5k t-shirt and black gym shorts. In March when I was brought on board with the paper, I knew this simply wouldn’t cut it. I purged my closet of these wretched clothes and replaced them with suitably fashionable attire, Polo shirts and cargo shorts. These items turned out to be far more comfortable than the typical t-shirts and gym shorts and makes me look immensely more qualified and as my mother would say, handsome.

5: Send emails whenever possible

The best way to get around tough social interactions is to quite literally avoid them. Send emails and when you get overwhelmed, simply stop responding or forward the email to someone higher up in the pecking order. While interviewing French President Emmanuel Macron, I was lacking on my French and simply checked out. I turned around, pulled out my laptop and in a panic wrote him an email with the remainder of the questions before promptly exiting the interview.

While the details of this list may not hold up in a court of law, the points still stand. I’m not a licensed professional by any stretch of the imagination but preparing, having confidence, and dressing for success, has led me to many conversations I would never have had before. Being unapologetically yourself in any situation is always the best way to go.