All he had to say was, "Hi I'm *blank*, how are you today?" and then let the conversation evolve naturally from there.
That's how I was able to overcome my social anxiety was by asking random people about themselves or something they had with them (a book, a pet, a drink, etc.). It's so mind numbingly simple now for me to start talking to total strangers because I have come to the realization that people love to talk about themselves.
Essentially, people are the heroes in their own stories so I make myself an outlet for them to share their "epic tales" with me.
