Questions are a good way to keep conversations going.
Other ways? Try to guess how they are feeling about what they are talking about. This is especially useful with most women. Special Note When I say guess, I don’t mean to wildly, blindly guess.
If the topic seems to bother them, just notice out loud, when it is your turn to speak that they appear bothered. This part is pretty simple really. If you have no idea what feeling they are expressing, then they are probably confused as well, so notice how confusing their problem or situation is.
With hetero guys, it is different, if you guess how they are feeling they will look at you, get really confused, and possibly angry. Focus on the mission, and the mission is explaining a problem, and getting a solution. If you don’t have a solution, that is fine, most of the time, they will come up with a solution on their own, simply tell them: “That is a tough one, what are you going to do?”
Side note: The more fluent you are in something, the better the conversations tend to be. If you can relate the topic to music, books, movies, artists, and experiences; then you will have a conversation that you will have to stop due to time constraints.
Practical note: The main ingredient to good conversations is living life to the fullest, in other words, pursuing one’s passions.