Keeping the conversation going
I think that in order to keep the conversation going, it is important to be attentive to the interlocutor and to ask questions that arouse interest and emotion. You need to be able to listen, not just talk. Listening to your interlocutor can lead to a variety of topics for further discussion. It is also important to avoid monotonous answers and constantly bring something new to the conversation. For example, you can talk about what you care about, share interesting stories from your life, or just make a joke. A special service https://golove.ai/, which helps to develop communication skills, helps me in such situations. It offers different scenarios and practices to keep the conversation going and also helps to improve self-confidence.
In general, I think you just need to be open and interested. If the conversation is not going well, you can try to change the topic or ask a more personal question that might open up the other person. Sometimes it's good to just be patient, and sometimes it's good to add a little humor. The main thing is that communication should not be tense.