I am practicing conversation skill and English on the Discord server daily. Many times after a few questions I don’t have anything to say, sometimes I go blank. Sometimes the other person answers in yes or no, and it is very hard to keep talking it feels forced. So, how do I overcome this. I talk on discord so I don’t have much to observe or talk about.
3 comments
Read and keep up either current affairs, history etc
People like to talk about themselves, ask about them, then listen to what they say and ask follow up questions. Use active listening where you repeat back what you think you’ve heard them say and ask another question related or even just say “so what I’m hearing is….is that right?” When they say yes follow up or if they correct you make sure they know you got it.
To formulate questions that cannot be answered with a yes/no. You can work with the “W” questions. How are you, what did you do, when did you play xy for the first time etc
With such questions, there is usually an opportunity for a somewhat longer conversation. But you also have to recognize and take the opportunities in the questions. For example, if they say they watched Game of Thrones today, you can ask how they found it, who their favorite character is at the moment, and why.
You can start conversations with simple questions like these.