What to Say After “Hi” When You Meet Someone New

Most people can say hi. Most people can introduce themselves. The moment everything falls apart is the few seconds after that, when the conversation is suddenly yours to carry.

“I kind of blacked out. Like, nothing was there.”

That feeling is familiar. You say hello. You exchange names. Maybe you even smile and think, okay, this is going fine. And then your brain goes completely quiet.

That’s usually when people start blaming themselves. They assume they’re bad at conversation, awkward, or not confident enough.

That’s not what’s happening.

Why the Conversation Dies After “Hi”

What comes after hi feels uncomfortable because there’s no script anymore. You’re no longer following social rules. You’re improvising.

“I had been thinking all night what I was going to say, and when I decided to dart up and walk to him, all of that fell out.”

When nerves kick in, your brain goes into protection mode. It tries to prevent you from saying the wrong thing by saying nothing at all. According to Psychology Today, this is a common stress response where anxiety temporarily disrupts recall and verbal fluency, especially in socially evaluative moments.

“I do get really nervous and when I have those split-second decisions, the nerves do build up and I forget what I want to say.”

That pause is what people label as awkward. Not because you did something wrong, but because momentum disappeared.

This is the same dynamic I unpack in How Do I Introduce Myself Without Sounding Awkward, where the discomfort has far more to do with pressure than personality.

Most People Ask the Wrong Next Question

When the silence hits, people usually grab for the safest thing they can think of. Something obvious. Something surface level.

“I was like, have you seen the movie that you have coming out?”

The problem with questions like that isn’t that they’re bad. It’s that they don’t add anything new. They don’t give the other person a reason to engage beyond politeness.

“I really should have had something else to say that keeps the conversation going or adds some sort of value.”

That’s the difference between conversations that continue and conversations that quietly end.

What Actually Keeps the Conversation Going

After hi, the goal isn’t to impress. It’s to give the conversation direction.

That direction comes from context.

Why you walked up.
Why you’re interested.
Why this interaction matters to you.

“I was just like, I’m interested in what you do. Cool, bye.”

Interest without a reason doesn’t create momentum. It just creates a stopping point.

“I was taught that sending an ‘I’m interested in what you do’ message is the worst type of message you can send without adding the why or what you can add.”

The same rule applies face to face. When you share the why, the other person has something to respond to. Harvard Business Review talks about this as “signal clarity” in conversations. People feel more comfortable engaging when intent is clear, even if the delivery isn’t perfect.

This is also why How to Introduce Yourself Without Sounding Awkward focuses less on clever questions and more on giving the interaction somewhere to go.

When You Don’t Know What to Say Next

The best thing you can do after hi is have a fallback. Something simple you can return to when your mind blanks.

“I didn’t even think about saying, I would love to stay in touch.”

That sentence alone gives the conversation a purpose. Not because it’s smooth, but because it’s honest.

“You can totally just say, it was really nice to meet you, can I get your number?”

Those kinds of lines don’t rescue bad conversations. They extend good ones before they fade.

This is the same principle behind Borrowed Confidence Is Real, where action and clarity do more for confidence than waiting to feel ready.

Awkward Pauses Are Part of the Process

Even when you prepare, things can still feel awkward.

“That was probably one of the most awkward encounters I’ve ever had.”

That doesn’t mean you failed. It means you tried.

“One of the best parts of this was it didn’t make me want to stop introducing myself or stop putting myself out there.”

Every time you freeze, you learn what you wish you had said. That’s how the skill develops.

Confidence doesn’t come from never going blank. It comes from knowing you can recover when you do.

The Quiet Truth

If you don’t know what to say after hi, it doesn’t mean you’re bad at conversation.

It means you care about the interaction.

Most people never even get to that moment. They don’t say hi at all. They just wonder later what would have happened if they did.

“What could have been if I had said hi?”

Trying, even when your mind goes blank, always gives you more than staying quiet.

“I would always rather at least try and then build from there.”

And sometimes, that’s all you need to keep the conversation going.

FAQ: What to Say After “Hi”

Why do I freeze after introducing myself?
Because “the nerves do build up and I forget what I want to say.”

Do I need a clever follow up line?
No. “You just need something to continue the conversation.”

Why do conversations feel awkward right after they start?
Because “I really should have had something else to say that keeps the conversation going.”

Is it okay to ask to stay in touch early?
Yes. “You can totally just say, it was really nice to meet you, can I get your number?”

What if it still feels awkward?
That’s normal. “These awkward encounters are kind of just par for the course.”