I'm not very good at initiating, but I'd like to think I'm pretty good at keeping it going. The golden rule is "maintain initiative". The way you do that is as

I'm not very good at initiating, but I'd like to think I'm pretty good at keeping it going. The golden rule is "maintain initiative". The way you do that is as follows: 1. Have a reason for engaging. Maybe your reason is just to practice, and that's totally fine. Anything goes here. Just be conscious and confident about your reason. When your reason has been fulfilled, it's a natural time to move on rather than feeling you need to continue to talk just because. 2. When possible, ask a question of the other party. If they mention they enjoy being in their garden, I would ask them about that. What's in the garden? What do they like to do there? Asking a question gives you the power of setting the topic of conversation while making the other party feel good because they're talking about themselves and specifically something they like to talk about (because they brought it up). Setting the topic with a question is also a good position for you to be in, because it reduces the likelihood that the conversation's going to steer into a topic you're uncomfortable with. The way they answer also gives you some insight into what they value, which can be a clue for future questions.