What to Say When You Have No Idea What to Say: Conversation Savers for Text and Video Chat

Talina
Guides
10 Sep, 2026

Chitchat.gg publishes this blog.

Everyone blanks. You match, you say hi, they say hi, and then there is a silence you can hear. This guide is the list of things that reliably work, with lines you can literally type.

1. Narrate the Moment

Say what is true right now. "Okay, I've completely blanked, help me out." "It's 1am here and I'm avoiding an essay." Naming the silence removes it. Works in text and on video.

Copy-paste for text: ok I have nothing, what's the last thing that made you laugh

2. Ask Open-Ended, Low-Stakes Questions

Questions with no wrong answer and no pressure. "What are you listening to right now?" "What's the best thing you ate this week?" "Where are you and what's the weather doing?"

Copy-paste for text: random q: what's a show you'd rewatch from the start

3. Make It About Them

People like talking about themselves and are grateful to be asked. Follow whatever they said last with "how did you get into that?" or "what's that like?".

4. Use Humor or Playfulness

Low-effort games work surprisingly well with strangers: "would you rather", "two truths and a lie", "rate my playlist". They give both of you something to react to.

Copy-paste for text: two truths and a lie, you go first

5. Lean Into the Awkward

Silence is only awkward if you treat it that way. "Well, this is a comfortable silence" gets a laugh more often than not, and a laugh is a restart.

Text Chat vs Video: What Changes

On video, silence is loud, so narrating the moment (move 1) is your best tool. In text chat, silence is normal, so do not panic-fill it; send one good question and wait. Text also lets you go back and reference something they said earlier, which is the easiest restart there is.

When the Other Person Goes Quiet

Send one open question. If nothing comes back after a minute or so, skip. It is not personal, and on a random chat platform the next conversation is one click away.