When he is beginning to walk, the cleverest baby has an occasional tumble. If we are learning to play the piano, we cannot help striking a wrong note now and then. And in our social lives, we cannot learn how to feel at ease with people without making an occasional blunder. Everybody has to face this difficulty. If you want to put this to the test, watch their eyes.
Many people can control the expression of their eyes.
You might like to try this, and, incidentally, it will help you to take your attention off yourself. You should not, of course, stare fixedly at the eyes of the other person because he would resent it and feel uncomfortable. But when will often give him away. When you are with a group of people, it is interesting to watch the effect of their conversation, and see how their eyes mirror their reactions to one another. What has been said about nervous symptoms applies with equal force to awkward moments.