Around unknown people, initiate conversation and always look them in the eye. Be happy and positive. Recognize that it won't hurt to be friendly.

There is nothing wrong with being shy and you do not have to fake it. Shy people often have a unique ability to really focus on the person with whom they are speaking. Develop a genuine interest in people. It may be hard to introduce yourself, but do it anyway. It only takes a second or two and the friendships can last a lifetime. Ask a lot of questions. Smile. If you get rejected say, "Some will; some won't. So what? Next!"

Take baby steps. I know this sounds silly, but start by just giving a big confident hello, how are you doing or general greating when you catch someone's eye. Male or female. Say in a store, on a sidewalk, gym whatever. You will be amazed by the way people respond to you. It's a short term interaction, but it may build your confidence in people you deal with daily. Good luck, chin up and smile.

be a good listener, observe people. make eye contact and flash a genuine smile once in a while. you dont have to be overly witty or intelligent, just find a topic that everyone will be interested in to start the conversation.

Couple of drinks should do the trick!!

Shyness cannot be faked. Others can read the telltale signs: bodylanguage, nervousness in coversation etc

Faking it its a great step to stop being shy, when you appear confident you start to being confident as you practice you convince yourself of the opposite, master it. its like, seen to believe, but its Believe to see. ;)

I was shy when I was in college. I'm soooo shy, if it were possible I would never recite in class. "If my answer's wrong, everyone will laugh at me." I avoided eating lunch in the cafeteria alone. "People might look at me, wondering why I'm alone." I never initiate conversations "What if he doesn't like what I talk about?" I avoid drawing attention to myself, I avoid speaking up, I avoid wearing attention-grabbing clothes, I avoided... everything. Everyday was another day trying to run from people. Then one day in school, we were asked one by one to recite some memorized essay in front of the class. It was a make-or-break recital: pass it and you move on to the next semester, fail it and you'll repeat the entire English class. Needless to say, I was a nervous wreck. I forgot my lines. I made up my lines to compensate. I struggled through a couple of minutes that seemed to last like decades. I felt like my classmates were laughing quietly at me. In the middle of the essay, I realized I would fail English class. And I also realized why I was so shy: because my whole life, I spent being so damned concerned about what others think of me. That realization, that one, single moment, all that avoidance and self-humiliation I put on myself gathered into this one huge, heavy mass that formed a hot lump in my throat, and my eyes welled up in tears. That was the last day I spent being shy. You wanna stop being shy? Stop caring so much about what others think of you.

Drink alcohol.. you asked about "faking it"

I fake it, by acting lively and striving to be different. It detracts from the fact that I have social phobia.

Think of really confident people that you know and think about what things they do. Don't try to be them, but use some of the tequniques they use. Like if they say hiya a lot. Try to do the same thing but with you're own words.

You cant fake it, you gotta feel it, build up your confidence and be greatful for who you are and it should work in no time!

I used to "act" like I was the life of the party. And I was. Eventually, it dawned on me to stop associating myself with shyness.