It's all about the alpha male

[Shannon]

You not liking to approach people you don't know isn't a character flaw. In some cases, it's just a particular personality type and in some cases, it's set of beliefs. Sometimes both. I am the same way - I don't like dealing with people I don't know because I haven't gotten to know them yet. I tend to respond that way because my style is to "blend with the person"in some sense in order to better communicate, and when I don't yet know them, I can't do that. Having communication flub up has really been costly for me in the past, so I am careful with it.

But the alpha set will really help with that, too. Eventually you just won't care, and you'll start simply saying what comes to mind, even if you don't know the person. Just give it time. You're only on stage 1.