You are living in Shanghai? May be we can have a conversation. Contact me if you are interesting. First, people in Shanghai or other places doesn't speak very standard Mandarin. And I think a foreigner like you are aways welcome, they'd like to pay more patience. So don't end the conversation quickly. When you can't understand them, don't care and ask another question. It helps you overcome panic, although you still can't understand.But it's a good start. If you mean you can't deal with having a conversation with the lower class like Wozitoya said. er... I have no idea. But some kinds of people in Shanghai you really should ignore them, who takes the initiative to speak to me is to cheat you. (...I wanna have a conversation with you too, but I am not a cheater. lol).

Chinese Language is very hard, I try not to speak Chinese. Let the English leads in the conversation, then supplement with some Chinese words or sentences.

5 Ways For Overcoming Shyness: 1. Some of the components of shyness are lack of self-confidence and anxiety around others, difficulty carrying on a conversation, and a lack of knowledge about the expected behavior in social situations or a lack of words whilst learning a new language. If you want to make progress overcoming shyness you need to attend to these issues. 2. You must first determine why you are shy. There are always underlying reasons for the way a person reacts in certain situations. You could prepare/memorize a conversation beforehand. Next, try behaving in a confident manner in private and practice until you begin to see results in public. You can practice saying, Hi my name is xxxx, pleased to meet you in front of the mirror. As ridiculous as it may seem, forcing yourself to act as if you are not shy can be very helpful in learning how to overcome shyness altogether. 3. One way to boost your self-confidence is to always look your best. Looking great makes you feel great and does wonders for your self-esteem. Reduce your fear of rejection by imagining worst case scenarios and how you will handle them. Observing strangers and acquaintances and how they relate to others can also be a great tool in learning how to overcome shyness. 4. If you are having difficulty overcoming shyness, join clubs/ sites or go to events that interest you. It's a lot more comfortable to engage in conversations with those who have common interests. The initial conversation will be much easier since you'll already have a topic of conversation that interests you both. 5. If you do not have the confidence to approach someone new, then smile and try to be approachable. Most people are receptive to a smile and a friendly face. Overcoming shyness can start with something as simple as a smile!

Hi, this is an excellent book dealing with your question; 'A Relational Model for Managing Second Language Anxiety', by Karen A. Foss and Armeda C. Reitzel © 1988 Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages, Inc. (TESOL). This book says that researchers and teachers in the fields of speech communication and second language acquisition have been concerned with the phenomenon of communication anxiety. Although the anxieties experienced by native speakers of a language differ somewhat from those experienced by nonnative speakers, we suggest that students' perceptions of their communication abilities and performances must be taken into account when dealing with the anxiety responses of both groups. This article proposes that a relational model of communication competence developed by Spitzberg and Cupach (1984) can be used as a foundation for understanding and working with students experiencing anxiety in using a second language. Specific exercises for helping students manage their perceptions of their communication are offered.

Hello Toffler , First bear in mind that you are not the only one feeling so. Ask yourself why you start freezing up in the first place ?and whether you feel so with everyone you converse with in Chinese or it varies from one person to the other ? Sometimes the listener could be (unintentionally ) using a body language that intimidates you and ridicules your effort to speak fluently,which freezes you up and blocks your ability to use your mental faculties in the most efficient way. Other reasons could be your lack of concentration or other disturbing factors that distract your attention from being fully concentrating on the task of building correct sentences or remembering the meaning of words you might have heard or learned before, but couldn't recall instantly. Acknowledging the fact that you are learning a language and that it is perfectly alright not to know a lot should boost your confidence and motivates you to ask more about the meaning of words and expressions. So you need basically more concentration, effective listening and a good choice of people to converse or practice with.