want to say and impatient for you to get on with the conversation, will prompt you or provide you with a usable word. try to time it so that you repeat the word a second after they say it, so that it seems as if you too were about to say that exact word. this will make them feel good, because it will make them feel they are smarter than you are. (people are very happy when they feel they are smarter than you.) the resulting dialogue will sound something like this:

　　you: and that guy didn`t even know where china is on the map. the guy is such a... [here you pause.]

　　other person: idiot.

　　you: ...idiot, right. i was thinking to myself, "wow, if i were that guy, i would really feel... feel..." [you pause again.]

　　other person: humiliated.

　　you: ...humiliated, exactly. what an idiot!

　　4. memorize a lot of hesitation and qualifying phrases. these are phrases like, "oh, how can i put it?...", "perhaps i can put it this way...", and "oh, what should i say?..." this will give you time to think of responses and to recall rusty vocabulary items. the listener doesn`t know what`s going on inside your head, and he or she will think you really are searching through your vast vocabulary, looking for that perfect word that will accurately express the complex subtlety of your brilliant thought.

　　5. avoid subtlety. give simple, black-and-white answers to questions, regardless of the complexity of your true opinion. if someone asks, "what did you think of the movie?", you may be thinking something like "well, the cinematography was fabulous, natural-light interior shots with exquisite vermeer-like shades of luminous white -- a pastel symphony!" and so on. would you be able to expr