What contributes to a comfortable conversation? I think no awkwardness is an important aspect. Here I will share with you some of my thoughts on how to avoid awkwardness in conversations. Let's start with a little story.
In the first date with Susan, John saw a boy wearing a T-shirt marked with Manchester United. As a fan of Man Utd, John started to talk about how he loved Man Utd. However, Susan knew nothing about soccer and she didn't want to listen to John's long speech about soccer. So she said, "Hmm, I am sorry but I am not interested in soccer. Could we change to another topic?" Then John, who was in high spirits, suddenly had no words. There came the awkward silence.
How the embarrassing situation came up? It is because John chose a less common topic and Susan interrupted his talking abruptly without thinking about John's feelings. For John, he should more carefully choose a topic to make sure both can enjoy the conversation. And for Susan, what should she do when others already talk about a topic she doesn't like? Pretended to be interested and kept listening? That is a viable way but if John found out that she pretended to do so, John might not be happy because he would feel like being cheated. A better way is to think up a topic that they both have some words to say about and then switch to that topic smoothly. For example, Susan could say, "So do you want to watch the games in England? Do you have any travel plans?" Then the topic would switch to travel. Or she could also say, "My brother loves soccer as well. And he also loves music. Do you love music too? What else do you like?" Then the topic might switch to hobbies. Thus Susan doesn't need to pretend to be interested in soccer and there is no embarrassing interruption in the conversation either.
Therefore, to avoid the awkwardness in conversation, the first thing you need do is to choose a common topic. And if you are already talking an embarrassing topic, such as a topic you have little knowledge about or you have no interest in, don't interrupt others' talking abruptly. Instead, you should think up a more common topic and change to that topic gently and cleverly. When changing the topic, don't show weariness in your voice or face or other body language.
There are many other important points on having good conversations, such as putting yourself in others' places, keeping eye contact, listening carefully when others are talking, etc. All these points including avoiding awkwardness come down to "Think for others". Thinking for others is always a good way to have nice conversations since communication involves not only yourself. So in a word, think for others to avoid awkwardness in conversations.
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