Advice??😶😬😬

This question is for extroverts and or especially introverts who are good at being extroverted when needed:

How do you keep a conversation flowing? I'm so bad at small-talk. I honestly kind of hate it....but it really is a skill that I need regardless of how I feel about it. So how do you successfully engage in small talk, calm your nerves, etc.

I usually just nervously laugh or smile when someone else is trying to make conversation and that gets me nowhere 😅. But its really hard cause my mind goes blank and I can't think of anything to say/talk about!