I'm worse at casual conversation than I thought...

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A co-worker tried to guide me through causal social interaction yesterday. I knew I wasn't great at it--I don't really engage in conversation unless I have something I want to say--but boy is it harder than I expected. I found it nearly impossible to keep the conversation going when discussing something I'm not interested in without my coworker giving me suggestions of what to say, what kinds of questions to ask, etc...

I've basically managed to go my entire life by following the other person's lead in these sorts of situations such that I don't know how to take the lead in casual conversation. I guess this is where the so-called "mental rolodex" comes into play. Have you figured out any strategies for handling these sorts of situations?

I know exactly what you mean - the biggest problem for me is that I don't know exactly what to say. That's why I try to let the other person talk, while I just nod or utter an occasional "mm-hmm" or "yeah".