Reddit mentions of Alfred Hitchcock: The Essentials Collection

Hitchcock fans,do yourself a favor and buy this boxset.

1. Read a lot of fiction. It's the closest thing to telepathy we have. You can pick up the point of view of someone long-dead or from a vastly different culture. The more widely read you become the better. Don't feel you have to suffer, though. If you like reading romance, go and read it. Read things that lead onto other things. Learn to read and your horizons will be infinite.
   
   
2. Take up a martial arts class. I recommend something like Aikido rather than kick-boxing. Your primary goal isn't to learn to fight but rather to straighten your posture and gain calmness and confidence. Hence, consider the more "art" based martial arts first.
   
   
3. Meditate. This will help you gain confidence and put you more at ease with yourself. I recommend Zen, but there are many good ones. It's basically taking quiet time to let yourself see your own flaws.
   
   
4. Make a list of activities that people from higher social classes do, and investigate them. This isn't to become something you're not - I actually think you should be proud of your desire to improve, and I think it's a bad idea to hate your upbringing, too. No, this is about making a list of all those things you've never been exposed to, so you can try them and find out for yourself if you like them. By systematic. I've put an example list at the bottom of the post.
   
   
5. Speak into a recorder and listen honestly to your voice. If it seems to bind you to a particular place and class, consider paying for lessons to change your accent. Actors do it all the time. Again, this shouldn't be about becoming something you're not, just softening any disadvantages. Accents are cute, you don't need to lose it, but if you find it a disadvantage, it will help to soften it.
   
   
6. Learn to do public speaking. Toastmasters are everywhere, and remarkably cheap. Just knowing you can stand in front of a crowd and deliver a speech will change the way people see you and you see yourself.
   
   
   Recommended activities (to see which you like):
   
   Art Go to an art gallery and take a look around. There are all sorts of paintings and statues that people have created for thousands of years. See if any appeal. This is best done with knowledge, so try reading an easy book like this, or a more in-depth one like this
   
   Theatre Try going to the theatre and watch a play. I recommend you pick a classic, but for your first one it might be better to pick one in your natural language rather than Shakespeare. Bear in mind, though, that when you get into it, there's a reason Shakespeare is considered amazing.
   
   Cooking Seriously, learn to cook. It's a life skill. You can take classes, but nothing beats picking up a good book and practicing. I'm English, so I don't know much about American cookery books. The one I learned off is this one, by the English cook Nigel Slater, and I heartily recommend it.
   
   Music I'm not personally a fan of classical music, but the aim is to see for yourself what you like. You could do worse than look at this online course. You could also get a cd, like this
   
   Cinema Go buy DVDs of classic film and extend your repertoire. For example, try watching Hitchcock, for example, and ground yourself in a major part of world culture. Note that this, like all the above, will give you a breadth of conversational topics.
   
   Finally Creativity Go and do something that makes you a creator rather than a consumer. I like writing, but you could equally take art classes or learn to play a musical instrument. Being creative will transform your life. If you want to try writing, I recommend nanowrimo and for science fiction writing, this book
   
   Notice what I'm saying with all of the above. The intention is to open your horizons to what other people enjoy, and give you the ability to converse with them fluently. It's also getting rid of the main markers that might hold you back. Ideally, you'll also find something you love, as well, that you might never have considered.