Answer: all of the above.
Why? Because all of them are important in a conversation!
speaking to avoid awkwardness is good so you won’t end up ruining the conversation without realizing and giving the other person a bad impression about yourself. And not panicking is quite important too, because when you panic and get negative thoughts you’ll realize that it’s keeping you down and making you feel bad or anxious about every single word you say. And lastly collecting your thoughts and putting them in order (few seconds before starting a conversation) can be helpful to most people which will make them feel more confident and prepare especially if the conversation was serious.
