No woman desires a boring man. Even when she loves you to the moon and back, there’s just so far the love can go when every minute spent with you is in silence. She could try to save the situation by leading the conversation, but soon, she’ll get tired if you don’t pick up and keep the conversation going.

Accepted, we all can’t be talkertive, but you don’t have to be one to have a decent conversation with your girlfriend. Part of being a great lover is to know the right things to say and when to say them. If you and your girlfriend spend more time in silence than you do talking, it means that you two are preoccupied with your thoughts most of the time. This non-engagement creates room for couples to drift apart. You don’t want you girlfriend to end up in the arms of a more “interesting” guy, do you?

Here are three ways to keep the conversation going in your relationship.

1. Ask questions

It’s easy to run out of things to say. If you are waiting for things to happen so you can talk about them, you may have to wait for eternity. The idea about being an interesting guy is to find things to talk about and make them sound interesting. A good way to do that is to ask your girlfriend questions. People love to talk about themselves, creating an avenue for them to do so is a great way to avoid silent moments. While you are at it, try to avoid closed-ended questions that require a yes or no answer – keep the questions open-ended. Rather than say “Are you okay?” You should say something like “You don’t look okay, what’s wrong?”

2. You both should talk about your day

People hardly talk about their day. We often ask the question “How was your day?” but a typical answer we all give to the question is “fine.” Such a response can kill a conversation. If she asks you about your day, feel free to tell her how your day went. Tell a story of what happened. If your day was stressful, tell her what made it stressful. Did you get stuck in traffic? Tell her about it and how you got out of it. Little stories like this create room for a conversation to keep running. She’s most likely to make more enquiries as the story unfolds. Encourage her to talk about her day too by asking prompting questions like “Did you have an interesting day?”

3. Listen attentively and respond appropriately

A lot of people don’t listen attentively when others are talking – they are either distracted or thinking about the next thing to say. Great conversations entail making meaningful contributions and learning a thing or two. As she talks about things, don’t be in a hurry to respond. Allow her talk, and urge her on with fillers or your body language. When she’s done talking, take a moment to arrange your thoughts so you can express them articulately.