Dear Chloe,
I find it difficult to get into conversation with new people, or to join in a conversation that’s already started. And even if I do talk to someone, I feel as if I’m boring them. I like meeting people and I want to be able to get to know them and not just make polite conversation. What can I do?

Sophia T.

Dear Chloe,
A friend of mine made an interesting observation the other day: she said I always address people too politely and I apologise too profusely if I do something wrong. Why am I like this? Why can’t I relax and be informal?

Cooper M.

Dear Chloe,
I was at a party recently and I heard my friend Margie strike up¹ a conversation with a handsome man sitting next to her. Then, after a while, during a lull² in the conversation, I heard her whisper softly to him that she was not married. She is. Why did she tell a lie? Should I have told him?

Madison C.