Pretty much half of the people in your school will be boys. You will most likely know a few boys that you are comfortable talking to because they might be your brother's friends or have something in common with one of your friends. Starting a conversation with boys that you don't know is more difficult and much more nerve-wracking.

Here are some tips to help you overcome the shyness that you have so that you can start a conversation with a boy for the first time.

Believe in yourself – A boy is really just another person. They have conversations all of the time just as you do. They will be able to answer a few simple questions you can ask them, and that's all you need for a conversation. The bottom line is, if others are able to hold conversations with boys, then so are you. You just need to build up the confidence and have a simple strategy that will help you through it.

Remove any doubts that you have – Thinking that "you have nothing to say", "boys think you're dumb", or "I will just look stupid" will only make you more anxious. Whenever these thoughts come to mind, tell yourself that they aren't true.

Prepare one or two questions to ask – A conversation doesn't have to be long. In fact the first conversation you have should only be a small one with one or two things said by each person. This will prevent it from having awkward silences. Prepare one or two open-ended questions to ask such as "what did you get up to on the weekend" and "what classes do you have on today". Only expect a short reply for each. End the conversation naturally by saying you have to head off home or to meet a friend or to class. This will make you short conversation natural.

Do it alone – Both girls and boys hang out as a close group of friends. Approaching or being approached by a group of people is intimidating. It also prevents you from being yourself. In the back of your mind you have the feeling that you should always look cool in front of your friends. When you want to approach a boy for the first time, do it alone, and make sure he is alone. This will prevent the peer pressure of each of your friends from influencing you both and will allow your own personalities to come through in the conversation.

Talking to boys should be like talking to any other person. Keep calm, start small, and let it develop naturally from there.