Lindsay McMahon
"The English Adventurer"

Do you ever struggle with how to keep a conversation going in English?

Do you feel comfortable in saying “hello,” but feel unsure of how to keep things going?

Do you ever feel like your conversations come to a standstill in English?

We’re going to give you some ideas for how to keep the conversation going and to make connections by doing so.

Here’s a letter that asks this very question and is probably something you can relate to.

 

Hello Lindsay and Jessica,

First of all my concern is how do I start the conversation? Before I feel overwhelmed with panic, I want to be sure to know what to say. I usually say “hello” and “how are you?”. Further on, I worry a lot after I start the conversation how do I keep it going? I usually ask what are your plans for the weekend, and that is it. I feel like I repeat the same questions and comments daily. If you could share tips for how to carry on the conversation, I would greatly appreciate it.

Thanks, 

Elena

 

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Starting Isn’t Always The Hardest Part

How can you keep the conversation going after you get it started?

What do you do next?

You may recognize that the conversation is stuck or about to end–so how do you nudge it forward?

The thing is that saying “hi” isn’t the problem, because you want to keep it going beyond just that.

You want to come up with ideas that can help you to continue talking long after “hello”.

We have some great ideas, and you need to insert some energy to keep it interesting.

 

Great Ideas To Keep The Conversation Going

These are universal topics that everyone can relate to, and they can help you to keep the conversation going after it’s started.

  • You can talk about the weather: It’s a way to keep the conversation going. It’s a universal thing and shared experience, so it works quite well. Everyone has something to say about the type of weather that you are all experiencing. If there is some extreme weather, you can say something like “can you believe this snow/these temperatures…”. Say it with emphasis and energy so that it opens up a good conversation. A connection phrase about the weather can be “hot enough for you/cold enough for you?” This opens up the conversation and gets people to react emotionally and want to talk.

 

  • Recognize a shared experience: It can be the weather, but it can go beyond just that. It can be the food you’re eating or the experience that you’re sharing. It could be about a long line that you are both standing in. There is bound to be something that you both share and you can use this to continue the conversation going. It doesn’t matter how big or small the shared experience is, for it really helps to keep the conversation going and get into more details.

 

  • Share your plans for the weekend: You want to ask what their plans are for the weekend. You want to know about their weekend and so you could say something like “So what are you up to this weekend?”  This is good for continuing the conversation once it has already started. Once you have already started talking and shared a comment on a shared scenario, then this is a good lead in. This may depend upon where exactly you live and how comfortable you feel in the conversation or relationship. You could say something like “what’s happenin’ this weekend?” It’s just to ask what’s going on and it’s a bit broad and then you can go narrow into the conversation after that.

 

These are all great ways to keep the conversation going, and they don’t take much effort on your part.

 

Takeaway

You may feel unsure of how to keep the conversation going after it’s already started.

You want to focus on one of these universal topics that everyone can relate to.

Be sure to show energy and to offer your own thoughts and ideas–that’s what connections are made of!

If you use these topics and show some enthusiasm, then you’ll never have to worry about keeping the conversation going again.

 

If you have any questions, please leave them below in the comments section.

We’ll get back to you as soon as we can. 

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