{"id":28139,"date":"2021-07-22T11:17:00","date_gmt":"2021-07-22T18:17:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/?p=28139"},"modified":"2021-09-15T06:57:10","modified_gmt":"2021-09-15T13:57:10","slug":"how-to-keep-a-conversation-going","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.zoosk.com\/date-mix\/dating-advice\/first-date-tips\/how-to-keep-a-conversation-going\/","title":{"rendered":"How To Keep A Conversation Going: 6 Tips To Look Like A Natural"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There are a lot of great benefits to dating apps. You no longer have to hit the bar or stay out late to meet a cutie. Your dating pool isn\u2019t limited to co-workers, friends of friends, or members of your gym. You also can flirt with a sexy stranger from the comfort of your own home. The only downside? It can be difficult to know how to keep a conversation going over text<\/a> or IRL. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s nothing worse than chatting with a cutie only to see that they responded to your text with an emoji, which kind of kills the conversation. Well, actually there is something worse: them not responding at all. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The difficulty of how to keep a conversation going isn\u2019t just over text, it can also be tough in-person to have good banter if you\u2019re nervous or just haven\u2019t figured out your date\u2019s vibe yet. But good conversations lead to second dates, and maybe even to love. So, here\u2019s how to keep a conversation going naturally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

How to Keep a Conversation Going: 6 Ways to Keep it Flowing <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

  1. Be curious and don\u2019t be afraid to ask unique questions<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    Here\u2019s a fact: pretty much everyone loves talking about themselves. If they act like they don\u2019t, it\u2019s because they\u2019re trying to be polite. So, one surefire way to keep a conversation going is to ask lots of questions. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    While any questions are better than no questions, certain questions spark better conversations than others<\/a>. If someone has been single and dating for a while, they\u2019ve probably heard most of the basic, small-talk questions a million times by now, so try to go outside the box. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    While you don\u2019t want to offend the other person, ask the questions you\u2019re actually interested in knowing the answers to! Not only will this seem way more natural, but it\u2019ll also show the other person that you\u2019re actually interested in their answers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    If you\u2019re not sure exactly what you want to know about this person yet, just that you want to get to know them\u2014try upping the ante of the usual questions to make them more open-ended and unique.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    For example, instead of asking \u201cwhat do you do?\u201d ask \u201cwhat was the best part of your workday today?\u201d Instead of asking how many siblings they have, ask which family member they are closest with and why. Instead of asking what part of the city they live in, ask why they chose that neighborhood!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    1. Chat about mutual interests – and avoid topics that might cause strife<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

      If there was a class on how to keep a conversation going 101, the number one tip would be to find mutual interests. Finding a topic you are both interested in guarantees that there will be more of a natural banter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Of course, when you don\u2019t know someone, it\u2019s hard to know what you have in common. But, that\u2019s what conversation is for! If you\u2019re meeting someone from a dating app, you might be able to learn about some of their interests from their profile or social media pages if they\u2019ve linked them. You should definitely go through their profiles before date night to ensure you\u2019re armed with some topic ideas. Plus, remembering things from their profile will make the person realize that you do care about their interests, which will lead to a better conversation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      While it may be tempting to bring up current events or politics, you might want to avoid these kinds of topics unless you\u2019re sure of the other person\u2019s viewpoint. You don\u2019t want to get into a debate on a first date – or stop a first date from happening because of a text-message debate! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Besides, even if you do have the same political viewpoints, politics aren\u2019t sexy. And unless your date works in politics or is an activist, it\u2019s not going to tell you that much about who they really are as a person. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

      1. Focus on listening rather than what you want to say next<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

        Asking questions can only keep a conversation going so well if the person you\u2019re talking to thinks you\u2019re interested in their answers. A key part of how to keep a conversation going is to be just as good of a listener as a conversationalist. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        Try to avoid thinking about what you\u2019re going to say next and instead focus on what the person you\u2019re talking to is saying. If you have trouble with this, try to react to things they say by nodding or making short comments like \u201cwow,\u201d \u201chow cool,\u201d \u201cInteresting,\u201d etc. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        This will not only keep you in the moment, but show your conversation partner that you\u2019re actually paying attention and interested in what they have to say. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

        1. Work in compliments naturally<\/strong><\/li><\/ol>\n\n\n\n

          Just like people love talking about themselves, people love being praised. Of course, if you start a conversation off with a bunch of compliments, it might come off as a bit too much or as a bit inauthentic. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

          Instead, work in compliments naturally based on what they\u2019re saying, or based on what you want to learn about them. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n