Everyone feels like a shrinking violet now and then, but it needn’t hold you back. Experts share their tips for speaking out, socialising and leaving timidity behind

When Laura, 34, was growing up in a genteel neighbourhood in Edinburgh, her parents taught her that the worst thing a person could do was make a show of themselves. “By that, they meant wearing bright colours, laughing or talking loudly; doing anything at all to attract attention.”

Although she deplored their attitude, Laura finds she has inherited their mindset. “The other Sunday, I had to have a difficult conversation with a neighbour about their incessantly barking dog. They ended up shouting at me and I wanted the earth to swallow me up. There were other people around and I’m sure they were all wondering what I had done to create this scene. I can’t stop replaying it in my mind.”