As we get older, we are increasingly placed in social situations with strangers. Whether it’s a first date, wedding reception, dinner party or waiting room, talking to new people is a fact of adult life. In many of these situations, you may encounter diverse groups of people — different genders, races, creeds, political ideologies — with whom you may engage in conversation. In such mixed company, certain topics of conversation can prove to be especially polarizing. Your handling of conversation in these situations can weigh heavily on people’s first impression of you, so tact is key when confronted with these topics.

Here are some tips on tackling the toughest conversation topics with ease and grace. Soon enough, you’ll be a pro at even the most cringe-worthy social situations.

####Politics

**Awkward Level:** This can get bad…

**Should you do it?** Proceed with caution.

Depending on who you ask, politics is either one of the best or worst conversation topics. Politics influence almost every aspect of our lives, so most people do have some opinion on it. Just because everyone has something to say about politics doesn’t mean you should be saying something about it. As a general rule, steer clear of politics. However, this election cycle makes politics a hard topic to avoid. If political conversation begins, stick to fairly neutral topics, and if someone disagrees, politely accept their opinion as valuable, even if it sounds batshit crazy to you.

####Religion

**Awkward Level:** Right up there with politics.

**Should you do it?** Tread carefully.

Much like politics, everyone has an opinion on religion. Once again, this does not mean that everyone should feel obliged to share their opinion on the subject. If you find yourself in a conversation and at odds with others in the group, remain open and respectful of others’ views. Since religion can be a large factor in determining one’s political views, the two topics tend to go hand in hand.

####Money

**Awkward Level:** Uncomfortable, but you can move past it.

**Should you do it?** Probably not.

Did your parents ever tell you not to ask other adults about their money? Yeah, that rule still holds true when you’re an adult. Money’s a tough subject, and it can be very awkward to talk about it with other people. Whether you scrape together change in your car to pay for lunch before payday or have enough to go out every night and then some, we all have different lifestyles, but we all are still people.

####Exes

**Awkward Level:** You’re becoming _that person_ now.

**Should you do it?** Please don’t.

This doesn’t just apply to dates. In any social situation, the person that constantly brings up exes is usually not the most popular at the table. The only notable exception to this rule is if your ex is the subject of an amazing story worth telling. In that case, feel free to go with it.

####Self-Deprecation

**Awkward Level:** Funny the first time, but uncomfortable after that.

**Should you do it?** No.

In the same vein as exes, sometimes there’s a great story that results in you looking like an idiot. If you have more than one, stop yourself after the best one. Stories of self-deprecation can make everyone around you feel very uncomfortable. They also tend to present a lack of self-confidence, and that’s the last thing you want when you’re around a group of strangers.