If someone can correctly identify actual socialist policies as socialist, they're probably already a socialist, so there's nothing to defend. You can just innocently say "Oh is it? Huh, maybe those socialists are onto something then".

The whole reason socialist terminology is poisoned is because the people have been told that "socialism" means the government owning everything, forcing you to live in commie blocks, and taking all your money to give to party insiders and freeloaders.

In either case, promoting the policies without the terminology is still the best course of action. The socialists will understand what you're getting at, the masses will get to consider the policies without the baggage of propaganda.

You're not a robot, you aren't forced into the defensive by questions. Conversations are free response, you aren't forced to follow a logical script. Logic is for coming to conclusions, not sharing them. That's the job of rhetoric, and rhetoric relies on directing the conversation, not being directed. Persuasion is more important than reason here.