As a person who was moved from zero small talk ability to some, I've found that it works quite well to sort of repeat what the other person is saying when respo

As a person who was moved from zero small talk ability to some, I've found that it works quite well to sort of repeat what the other person is saying when responding. I'm not telling you to parrot them, but if person A says "I really like being in my garden because it's relaxing and lot of fresh air". I respond "Yes, I also find myself being more calm when digging my hands into a vegetable patch", instead of just saying "I agree.", if the case is that you like gardening, you shouldn't lie of course. That being said, I still don't really enjoy small talk but it still feels more comfortable to mee if I notice that the other person is receiving the response they expected. I know that in my example above, both responses says the same thing, but most people tend to continue talking and feel more comfortable if I respond in more verbose manners rather than "Yes." "I agree". And as some others have pointed out, practice.