Improvement in talking in groups

Hi all!
Im new to this forum so not sure where I should be posting this. Forgive me if this isn't the correct section.

Anyway what I really struggle with is knowing what to say when with a group of people. So I'm sat silently. I know my social skills need to be improved but I just don't know where to start. Should I practice telling a funny story or read up on things that make me interesting?

Any advice would be great.

I'm new too but your post caught my eye. I'd avoid the rehearsed funny story, as it would be hard to pull off in a natural way, particularly when you're nervous. Reading or watching the news or common tv shows might help you join in conversations though. My main advice would be not to "try" to be interesting (you're probably interesting enough!) but rather show interest in what someone else is saying. Hope that helps.