5 Things To Say When You Don’t Know What To Say

Last Updated: 6th April 2020

There are many times in your professional life, or even in a more personal setting, where you can find yourself at a loss of words. Here are the 5 best things to say when you don’t know what to say..

1. Ask about the other person’s family/wife/partner/business.
This you can say when you do have some background about the person you’re speaking to. Chances are the answer you get will keep you providing more questions, as long as you’re interested in having that conversation. Like, if the family is doing well, ask about the kids – what school they are in, what standards, and so on.

2. Talk about the weather.
This is a classic. So much that if you get asked about the weather, chances are the person asking you has no idea how to start/continue a conversation with you. Unless of course the weather has been really bad and you don’t even have to think about anything else.

3. Talk about traffic.
Another classic. Traffic is always bad, no matter where you are. So there is a lot of material you can use based on your own personal experience to keep the conversation flowing.

4. Talk about inflation.
Economic downtime has everyone rattled. While inflation is a pretty wide topic, you can segue into related topics like low employment rates, unstable markets, and so on. (This should be pursued only if you aware of AND knowledgeable about these topics – remember, it’s better to stay quiet than ruin your image by saying something stupid!)

5. Compliment the other person’s choice of clothes/shoes/bag
Men are usually not game for this line of conversation, unless they are the new breed of confident metrosexual men. Either way, when you compliment someone on their choices, it’s bound to keep up the conversation since the other person will surely indulge you their reasons behind their choices. (Warning – Choose this only if you’re really really interested – you don’t want to get bored so much that you actually look bored to the other person)

These are the conversation starters or floaters that I could think of, or rather, what I usually resort to when I can’t think of what to say to the other person, whether at a party or get-together or just casual meeting. Can you think of any other examples on what to say when you’re at a loss of words? Let me know.

Read our other Business Etiquette posts to build your personal brand at work.

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