Conversational strategies

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I spend many hours with my bf on the days when I see him, and I worry about not knowing what to talk about, though he is pretty chatty and is good at coming up with topics, though he sometimes will come up with a topic that I have nothing to add to. For instance he's very interested in ancient history and myths and I know very little about it, though I've been trying a little to learn by watching documentary videos. I like to talk about art, which is a subject he knows about as well, or I will talk about what is going on with my sister or my friends who live far away.

I haven't done it very much but I sometimes try to read articles or watch documentaries so I can bring them up as a topic of conversation. That seems to work okay.

Do you ever try to prepare topics or think about what you might say when you are expecting to be in a conversation or a social event?

No, never. When I meet someone I try to find something interesting about them and talk about that. Then what to say comes naturally to me. If I don't find anything interesting - usually because the person insists on keeping the conversation shallow and ask me standard questions about my work, where I live, if I have kids etc - then I keep quit or try to find somebody else talking to.

Improv classes helped me have more fluid conversations

Seriously its not scary its like being kids again and the group is very supportive in my experience

No I don't rehearse or prepare at all, except occasionally when I stumble onto something and I think "that might interest [name], I must remember to tell them."

It's a shame though, because I would think it would do good if I thought about the people I was going to be with and what I might say to them. I suppose I prefer to play social things by ear and tend to feel that if it doesn't work without having to contrive things, it's better that we bore each other and thus stop associating. But that's probably only true of extreme cases where I've got nothing in common with my companions.

I have a lot of trouble taking an interest in what others are into, so if I look for anything it'll be something that's already of mutual interest. And even then I tend to wait till I'm with the person.

Have heard the improv classes help many aspies, for other places,I have read on the web.When younger, I had practiced scripting things quite a bit ....Would repeat certain phrases.Over and over, and hope to recall when needed.
After awhile my repetoire became more expansive . And actually practiced ways to disengage conversations too.
So my leaving a situation,would translate smoothly .
Nowadays ,most conversations go smoothly,without so much practice.But in any conversation, I initial enter into it with a smile but a skeptical mindset. Am not pushing myself to deal with an entire situation and persons,but listening to content and only respond to the content of what has been said.....