You're in conversation. Things are humming along nicely. And then out of nowhere, the awkward silence rears its head.

你在跟人交談。進展良好。突然之間，尷尬的沈默襲來

At that moment, your mind goes completely blank, you don't know what to say,

此刻，你的腦袋一片空白，你不知道要說什麼

and you can sense the other person's eyes wandering as they look for someone else to talk to.

你感覺到對方眼神飄移想找別人說話

That scenario sucks, so here are five tips to make sure that you never run out of things to say in conversation again.

這種場面實在尷尬，所以我要教你們 5 個技巧確保你們在談話中不會再沒話聊

First, when you find yourself in that situation where your mind has gone blank, play Reminds Me of.

首先，當你發現自己陷入這種局面，你的腦袋完全空白，試試「這讓我想到」

That just means that you look to the environment around you and say, "You know, that reminds me of..." and then fill in the blank.

意思就是你看一下周圍然後說：「嘿這讓我想到...」然後把你想講的接續下去

It's great for opening new conversational threads, and it can also work as a follow-up when someone finishes telling a story,

這對開啟新話題非常有幫助，這也可以用在別人說完故事接話

which is how many groups of friends interact all the time.

這就是朋友群聚常見的互動方式

That's because people are drawn to others who they feel are similar to themselves, and related stories can build that bridge.

這是因為人們容易被他們覺得跟自己相似的人吸引，相同經驗故事可以搭起你和別人的橋樑

Just be sure not to repeatedly make your story superior to theirs, or else you can feel like one-upping.

切記不要一直把自己的事情講得比別人好，不然你就會給人優越感

Second, when you ask questions, keep them open-ended as often as possible.

第二，當你問問題時，盡可能問開放性問題

So rather than saying, "Oh, you're from Toronto. Do you like it there?"

所以相較於說：「噢，你來自多倫多。你喜歡那裡嗎？」

you might say, "How do you like Toronto?" "I'm curious to hear more about it."

你可以說：「你覺得多倫多怎麼樣？」「我好奇，想要知道多一點。」

The former question invites a one-word response and then awkward silence.

前者會造成簡短回話然後尷尬沈默

The latter gets the other person talking about the things that they like, which is going to open up more conversational threads.

後者使對方聊起他們喜歡的東西，而這將會開啟更多話題

Also, just remember the rule that every three-year-old knows about conversation, which is that simply asking why is a great way to get people to open up more.

而且要記得一個每個三歲小孩都知道的聊天道理：就是問「為什麼？」這更可以讓別人打開心胸

So when someone mentions that they are consultant for instance, you might ask:

所以當別人提到他們在當顧問，你可以說：

"Why did you decide to get into consulting?"

「你為什麼進入顧問業？」

To be clear, unlike three-year-olds, you don't have to say the word 'why' over and over and over.

我要講清楚，我們不像三歲小孩，你不需要一直重複問為什麼為什麼為什麼。

But drilling down into their motivations will often get you a deeper connection in conversation.

而是要深入了解他們的動機使你們交談更深入

Third, for the worst case scenario, when conversation just flat-out stalls, use revival questions.

第三，最糟的場面，當你們徹徹底底沒話聊時，用這些會重燃話題的問句

These are non sequiturs that bring conversation back from the dead.

這些跟原本聊的內容無關，但卻可以重啟交談

Here's three of my favorites.

以下三個是我最喜歡的

If you're in a new group and conversation dies, after initial pleasantries, a great revival question is: "How do you guys all know one another?"

如果你剛加入聊天然後沒話聊時，在一開始客套話結束後，你可以問：「你們都怎麼認識的啊？」

There's almost always some kind of story that conversation can build from.

這些故事總有些能促進新話題

If you're only speaking to one person, you can say instead, "So what's your story?"

如果你只跟一個人聊天，你可以改成說：「你有什麼事情可以分享嗎？」

The great thing about this question is that it is so open-ended that the other person will probably guide you towards the topics that they want to talk about.

這個問句的好處是，因為是開放性問題，所以對方會接著講到他們想要談論的主題

Usually responding with something like, "You mean what do I do for work or what do I like to do for fun?"

通常他們會像這樣回覆：「你想問工作方面還是休閒娛樂？」

Their tone of voice and enthusiasm will usually tell you the best angle of conversation to continue with.

他們的語調和熱情通常會告訴你從哪裡開啟話題最好

Lastly, for people you already know well, ask them about their exciting plans for the future.

最後，對於你已經熟識的人們，問他們對未來感到興奮的計畫

This one is nice because it is endlessly renewable, which makes it great for connecting with people in the office or wherever you work.

這個很好用，因為一段時間就可以問一次，適合用在辦公室或工作場合與人聊天

Fourth on the list is to make a complimentary cold read.

第四個是用冷讀術讚美別人

So if someone is particularly smiley, you might say, "You look like the type who would be great with kids."

所以當某人常常面帶微笑，你可以說：「你很像那種容易跟小孩相處的人。」

Or if they're super strong, you might say, "You look like you're pretty into fitness."

或是他們很強壯，你可以說：「你看起來很喜歡健身。」

If you get it right, they're probably going to open up and tell you more about it.

如果你猜對了，他們就會打開心胸跟你聊更多

But even if you're wrong, you can talk about what it is that gave you that impression in the first place.

但要是你猜錯，你可以跟他說是什麼讓你有這種想法

Either way, you've got new conversational material to work with.

兩者都會使你有新的聊天話題

And the fifth and final tip is to flip the script so that you're not the one worried about running out of things to say.

第五個也是最後一個技巧，那就是反轉位置，所以你就不會是那個擔心沒話聊的那方

Instead, allow the other person to move the conversation forward by getting more comfortable with silence.

相反的，讓另一方去想話題，首先你必須先懂得靜默片刻

Seriously, three seconds might feel like a long time, but if you can just take a deep breath while maintaining easy eye contact,

老實說，三秒感覺很長，但你如果能深呼吸一口氣，保持自然眼神接觸

more often than not, the other person will make a comment or ask you a question.

通常對方就會回應或提出問題

Or if you really want to encourage them to continue, repeat back the last few words that they said.

如果你真的想要他們繼續說下去，重複他們講話的最後幾個字

This mirroring invites them to elaborate and can often get people to open up in very powerful ways.

重複說話會讓對方願意解釋更多，有效地讓對方打開心胸

So there you have it.

所以你已經知道了

Five quick and easy tactics that you can use today to make sure that you never run out of things to say in conversation.

5 個你可以使用的快速簡單策略，確保你永遠不會在交談中沒話聊

If you'd like these tips and want more advanced tips,

如果你喜歡這些技巧而且想學更多

you might want to check out an online course that I created called Charisma University.

可以看看我在 Charisma University 開設的線上課程

It has a full hour of my best strategies to become an expert conversationalist,

上面有我全部的最佳技巧，讓你成為溝通達人

not to mention separate sections on creating amazing first impressions,

更不用說其他不同單元，教導你如何製造良好第一印象、

telling captivating stories,

有魅力地講故事、

developing rock-solid confidence,

培養堅若磐石的自信心、

and becoming an inspiring leader.

以及成為激勵人心的領導者

You can learn more and join today if you're interested by clicking the button now.

如果有興趣，你可以按下按鈕，加入並學到更多

If you like this video and more like it on YouTube,

如果你喜歡這部影片也喜歡它出現在 YouTube 上

make sure to subscribe to the channel

記得訂閱頻道

and click that notification bell.

把通知打開

I hope that you enjoyed this video and I will see you in the next one.

希望你們喜歡這部影片，下次見！