Whenever I contribute to a group discussion, like a joke or a remark, or I have a question, I often get ignored.

How do I command attention when I'm not at the center of attention. How do I be the director of a conversation and be in control. I often find myself "catching up" to someone else's group discussion, and "listening" to try and piece it all together myself. Example: a group might be talking about a topic, and I would listen for like one whole minute trying to understand what topic they're talking about or trying to piece together the conversation before I chime in.

It's bugging me because it seems like I'm always lost in conversations if I'm not the one leading them. I'm always lost as to what they're talking about.