How can I improve my conversation and interpersonal skills?

I have somewhat of a problem interacting with people in somewhat busy environments. Like today I attended a career fair and probably spoke with about 20 employers, but at certain points I was really tense and felt uncomfortable when I shouldn't have been. Sure it is hot when you are wearing a suit in the summer, but I saw many others who seemed very confident and comfortable. I have worked in retail sales for awhile before so I don't have too much of a problem talking to random people but I am just looking for ways to improve my interactions with strangers and gain some extra confidence.



Thanks!How can I improve my conversation and interpersonal skills?
Both the above things are good, but more than anything, learn to listen, both to what the person is saying with words and what he may be saying behind it. It's easy to keep a conversation going when you repeat back to the person what you heard. ';So if I understand, you're saying.....'; Or ask a question about one facet of what they were talking about. The less talking you yourself do, the better the conversation will go, until you know the person well enough to know what they would be interested in hearing about from you.How can I improve my conversation and interpersonal skills?
Find a subject that both you and the other person are interested in. You'll find you can talk confidently and comfortably. With a stranger, first compliment something about them and then ask a related question. Like ';That's a nice watch. I bet you love to look at the time.'; If they come back and say, ';Yeh, I hate being late.'; Now you can talk about things that make you late. The conversation should have a dominoe effect from there.
practice. and changelling skills like learning new words, problem solving, reading at a higher level and practice.