What to say when you don’t know what to say
There are times in life when you don’t know what to say. There can be many reasons, and in this article, we will look at the most popular ones.
What to say to the person you just met
You don’t have enough information about the person – what they do and what they like. Likewise, he doesn’t know much about you.
The best thing to do in this situation is to start a short conversation. You can start talking about the occasion or event that made you meet. After that, you can move on to other topics, such as those related to work and hobbies.
The main thing here is to lower your expectations. Don’t expect the first conversation to be fascinating. This will most likely be a casual conversation.
Move from one topic to another. In doing so, you will find that you have something in common that you both love to talk about.
Once you find what you both like, you can chat freely as much as you like.
What to say to avoid awkward pauses by constantly fueling the conversation
There are times when you feel that the topic will soon run out of steam, and you will not continue the conversation.
This usually happens in a logical exchange of information. You begin to feel that the conversation is not enjoyable.
A quick fix here is to focus more on emotion than logic. Try to feel the energy in the room and the emotions you would like to experience during communication.
When you are in this emotional state, you can talk about anything. Even the stupidest topics are acceptable because the priority is not sharing information but rather building friendships.
What to say when it’s like a void in your head
It happens that you find yourself in a state where it seems as if the mind cannot normally work to carry on a conversation. This is due to some thoughts and feelings.
Better, of course, not to get into such a state. You don’t have to constantly question, criticize, or wonder what others think of you. This regular self-doubt is a waste of energy. It depresses you emotionally and makes you lose your ability to communicate.
Just try to move, walk back and forth, take a walk. There is no need to deal with self-doubt; otherwise, you will lose. Instead, break this insecurity and take your mind off it.
Tell yourself in your mind that you will worry about this later when you get home.
Your speaking skills will improve over time by distracting yourself from self-doubt, and your mind will no longer be empty.
What to say when you can’t find topics for conversation
One way to get started is to connect the topic you are talking about with many other topics. Pick one of your favorite topics and divide it into subtopics. Now, note that each subtopic can be split into two more subtopics.
They are all different and, at the same time, related. Each topic has many parts related to other topics.
This is similar to how sometimes a movie you know seems similar in fragments to another movie.
Keep practicing until you feel like you can start with any topic and come up with other topics of conversation.
You will automatically progress and begin to realize that you always have something to say.
What to say to make communication more interesting
To instantly make the conversation more interesting, you can move on to more personal topics. If you are with a friend who is not as close to you, it may be time to move on to the next level of familiarity.
Another way is to share a vulnerability or quirk. As a rule, people do this half in jest, thereby gaining more self-confidence. You also strengthen the relationship, as everyone has their quirks, and the other person knows about it.
Another tip to help make the conversation more interesting is to use the past or future tense. Let’s say you are discussing one topic. Try to transfer it either to the past or to the future.
What to say to avoid idle chatter
At some point in the conversation, you will want to move on to a deeper and more meaningful conversation. This can be done, for example, by starting to discuss one specific topic in more detail.
Try to devote more time to one topic instead of moving on to another. Ask more questions, share what you know, remember a few stories from your life related to this topic.
What to say/write to a person who is going through life difficulties
Sometimes it can be challenging to find the right words, especially when you realize that a person is going through a difficult period in life.
More often than not, we worry that we might say something wrong, and it’s easier to remain silent.
Here you will find some tips on how you can support the person.
Use an open-ended question
If you’re unsure of what to say to someone, why not try asking them an open-ended question and see if you can get them to talk a little more about their feelings.
Open-ended questions cannot be answered yes or no; they encourage people to say a little more. Here are examples of such questions:
- “How do you feel?”
- “What do you like?”
- “What’s new with you?”
Summarize and reflect what the person is saying
Another way to be supportive is to summarize someone’s comment. It may sound strange, but it will let the person know that you are attentive to his words and understand him
Short comment
When we do not communicate virtually, a person can be hugged or react with body movements. But what to do if you need to write a supportive message.
“I feel the same as you. I didn’t know how to tell you this; I just wanted to let you know.”
You show that you care by taking the time to understand more about the person, their feelings, and experiences.
Short words of encouragement
Sometimes, just a few short words are enough to clarify that you care about the person or their situation. These words can affect his health and/or mood.
If you decide to write a message or comment, try to clarify why you wrote what you wrote. Instead of writing “I have the same” or “yes, the same thing,” why not tell a little more about what you are going through or have gone through and how you feel about it.
You can keep silent
Silent support is greatly underestimated.
When someone is faced with tragedy or loss, they are often depressed. Mentally, a person is trying to process a huge amount of information. He is emotionally overwhelmed.
So the extra “noise” may be useless. Silence can be very uncomfortable for you, but it can be very soothing for the other person.
Just let the person come to their senses, process all the information, and even express their thoughts.
