Find out what your coworker’s nerdy interests are, then do some light research on it.

Then the next time you see them, ask them a bunch of questions about the subject. Try to talk little. Just listen and ask more questions.

People who are nerds about some topic love to talk about that subject. This is the easiest way to break the ice. Show them that you respect their knowledge on the subject, that you’ve learned a lot from them. Thank them. They’ll respect you more too.

After a few weeks of doing this with others, you’ll have their respect and then you can begin to increase the amount that you talk.