Back in 2005 when I was trying to build my social skills, i.e. talk more, I found it useful to either agree with whatever was said (e.g. "Yeah, that was a hard test" even though I was not in their class) or make your mom jokes (e.g. "You know who else was late? Your mom!").
But it's great to have ready a bunch of phrases and sentences that can be applied to absolutely any situation because they mean nothing at all:
As responses:
- "That's exactly what I would have done."
- "Yeah, do what you have to do."
- "That's just the way the cookie crumbles."
- "Well, don't we all [insert recently said verb] sometimes?"
- "Well, that's very [insert adjective] of you."
- "What a thing to say!"
- "That's a good point to make."
To extend what you're saying:
- "I gotta admit, ..." / "To tell the truth, ..." / "To be completely honest, ..."
- "You know what I always say? ...."
- ".... You know what I'm saying?"
- "..., you know?" (good for building rapport, esp. after describing a feeling)
Bonus points for using the word "Anyway" to change the subject! "Well" and "So" are also acceptable.
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