SilverProteus wrote:
I'm terrible when it comes to knowing what to say and in the right situations. I don't for the life of me know how to console someone who's going through a tough time. I just don't know what to say. What do they want to hear in those situations?
Another uncomfortable issue is small talk. What do people like to talk about when they have nothing to talk about? How do I keep the conversation flowing? It usually evolves to me just asking a string of questions and people answering, making for some really awkward and somewhat one-sided conversation. It seems either I lead the conversation or don't get a word in at all.
What about you? Do you have similar problems and how do you get over them?
I'm terrible at this too, but I think the key is to practice a lot. When someone's upset, I figure that all they want is someone to listen sympathetically and feel as though someone's on their side, so I'll try to listen as best i can. When it comes to small talk, there are a lot of "safe" subjects people seem to talk about over and over again: TV shows, sports, the weather. As long as you don't talk about politics or religion (unless you're in a political or religious group), many subjects are fine.
12 Apr 2015, 1:48 pm
