Give Yourself Time to Think

You may be worried that the people you’re talking to are impatient and would like you to say what you want as quickly as possible.

First of all, it may not be true – people often prefer a well-thought-out answer to a rushed one.

So just relax.

Another practical thing you can do is equipping yourself with fixed phrases you can use when remaining silent doesn’t seem to be an option. Here’s an example:

• 
  Why is there so much violence on TV? That’s a good question. Let me think for a moment, I haven’t really thought about it before. Well, I suppose…