Articles On How To Make Conversation
Many people say they struggle in this area. They can't think of things to say, they fear awkward silences, or they have trouble handling certain types of conversation.
Overall Thoughts
- Some Bigger Picture Thoughts On How To Make Conversation
- Places Where You Can Practice Making Conversation
Starting Conversations
Keeping Conversations Going
- Getting Past The First Few Minutes Of One-On-One Conversation
- Asking Questions And Making Statements
- Core Listening Skills
- Some Popular Overall Approaches For Making Conversation
- How To Think Of Things To Say When Making Conversation
- Listening And Being Interested In People Isn't A Cure-All
- Having Things To Say To Someone You Know Well
- It's Not Automatically Rude To Talk About Yourself
- It's Common To Not Be Able To Recall Details Of Your Life Or Recent Activities Right Away
Ending Conversations
Group Conversations
- Dynamics Of Regular Group Conversations
- How To Be Less Quiet And Contribute to Group Conversations
- How To Do Better In Loud, Hectic Group Conversations
- How Not To Get Talked Over Or Ignored In Group Conversations
- When Everyone Is Talking About A Topic You Can't Contribute To
- When You Can't Keep Up In A Joking Group Conversation
Other Types of Conversation
- Some Thoughts On The Point Of Small Talk
- On The Spot vs. Lower Pressure Conversations
- How To Have More Deep, Substantial Conversations
- When People Say "How's It Going?", "What's Up?" or "What's New?"
Banter
Socializing In Specific Situations
- Hanging Out With New People Who All Know Each Other
- How To Mingle And Talk To People At Parties
- Running Into An Acquaintance You Don't Have Much To Say To
- The Challenges Of Socializing At An Office Job
- What Are You Supposed To Do When People Sing Happy Birthday To You?
Conversation Mistakes
- Some Common Conversation Mistakes
- How To Handle Making A Social Mistake
- How Not To Put Your Foot In Your Mouth
Various Conversation Trouble Spots
- Ways To Deal With Awkward Silences In Conversations
- When Your Mind Goes Blank, Or You Can Only Think Slowly, In Social Situations
- Talking Too Much And Too Quickly When You're Nervous
- How To Respond To "You're So Quiet"
- Common Questions Awkward People Have Trouble With
- Making Conversation With Someone Who Is Only Giving You Short Answers
- When People Aren't Interested In Talking About Your Hobbies
- When You're Better At Group Conversations Than Talking One-On-One
- When People Don't Ask About You In Conversations
- Worries About Stumbling Over Your Words Or Being Inarticulate
- When You Often Zone Out Or Space Out During Conversations
- Giving Up And Checking Out Of Social Interactions
- When You Don't Feel Interested In People And What They Have To Say
- Remembering People's Names
- Is It Fake To Act Differently Around Different People?
- Ways To Handle Ambiguous Rude Little Jokes And Comments
- Ways To Figure Out If Someone's Jokes Are Mean Or Good-Natured