Preference to chat with one or two people

I prefer to chat with just one or two people - more than that and it doesn't feel so comfortable. In a group, communication feels more forced and less natural to me. Is this because there are too many people to focus on and the conversation becomes more "random"?

Does anyone have any knowledge or ideas about this?

Parents
  • I think I'm the odd one out.

    With people I don't know I'd much prefer 2-3 of them. With 1 person one of two things always seems to happen:

    1) I run out of small talk and there's an awkward silence while I try to think of a suitable thing to say. They get bored and leave.
    Or;
    2) They go off on a monologue about something they want to talk about without seeming to want or need any response from me. I feel trapped as, much as I don't want to spend an hour pinned against the wall hearing how terrible their last partner was or details of their latest colonoscopy, I'm stuck with it. I don't know how to change the subject or get away from them or signal to someone else to rescue me.

    It's so much safer with 2-3 people. I can dip into the conversation when I have something that seems relevant. If I don't have anything to say, or lose the thread, I can just listen to them without the pressure on me to keep up "my end" of the conversation and not stood on my own as an obvious target for a monologue person to hone in on.

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  • I think I'm the odd one out.

    With people I don't know I'd much prefer 2-3 of them. With 1 person one of two things always seems to happen:

    1) I run out of small talk and there's an awkward silence while I try to think of a suitable thing to say. They get bored and leave.
    Or;
    2) They go off on a monologue about something they want to talk about without seeming to want or need any response from me. I feel trapped as, much as I don't want to spend an hour pinned against the wall hearing how terrible their last partner was or details of their latest colonoscopy, I'm stuck with it. I don't know how to change the subject or get away from them or signal to someone else to rescue me.

    It's so much safer with 2-3 people. I can dip into the conversation when I have something that seems relevant. If I don't have anything to say, or lose the thread, I can just listen to them without the pressure on me to keep up "my end" of the conversation and not stood on my own as an obvious target for a monologue person to hone in on.

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