Q: how do you know how much to tell the truth and be fully honest in a conversation, vs saying responses that fall in line with what the other person wants to hear? This is an art I have not mastered yet
A: how about listening. if you don't have a 'response', or think your 'response' is not 'right', then just ask them to tell you more so you can listen more. side note: people don't know what they want to hear anyway, and actually neither do you, which is why it's so much fun to listen