Something I’ve never been that great at is spontaneous conversation. I’m more than capable of public speaking if I’ve prepared something in advance. But if someone asks me something out of the blue, I really struggle to engage in deep conversation. Afterwards I’ll think to myself damn, why didn’t I bring up X or Y?
Half the time I don’t know what to add and I struggle to think of what to say. Sometimes words feel like they’re on the tip of my tongue and I can’t get them out, especially when I’m under pressure. And in group conversations, I find it hard to interject when I do think of a point. By the time a natural break comes along, the conversation has moved on.
I’d love to get better at this. What can I do to improve?
Have you tried Toastmasters? Yes there is a large part about public speaking but meetings also have dedicated improvisations. You could even work on areas of public speaking you didn’t even know you might want to improve.
I hadn’t heard of that before - looks like they have some clubs in the UK so I’ll investigate. Thanks!