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Art of Small Talk

Small talk is casual conversation to establish rapport with unfamiliar people. It involves discussing relatable topics to get a sense of the other person. Small talk requires courage since people fear social judgment. To start small talk, one should introduce themselves and look for points of connection by listening actively. It is important to find a balance of sharing information about yourself and learning about the other person. In professional settings, having a brief elevator speech prepared about what you do can help guide small talk. Small talk ends when the conversation runs its course or one person signals they need to leave by thanking the other.

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Ladylein Redado
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372 views2 pages

Art of Small Talk

Small talk is casual conversation to establish rapport with unfamiliar people. It involves discussing relatable topics to get a sense of the other person. Small talk requires courage since people fear social judgment. To start small talk, one should introduce themselves and look for points of connection by listening actively. It is important to find a balance of sharing information about yourself and learning about the other person. In professional settings, having a brief elevator speech prepared about what you do can help guide small talk. Small talk ends when the conversation runs its course or one person signals they need to leave by thanking the other.

Uploaded by

Ladylein Redado
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What do you mean by the art of small talk?

Small talk is defined as the use of casual conversation about relatable topics with the goal of
getting a sense for another person and beginning to establish rapport.
Small talk will vary across different contexts. Small talk is often used around people that you do
not know very well. In many ways, small talk is a defense mechanism to cope with the universal
anxiety people experience when conversing with those they do not know well. Alternatively,
small talk can also become more than just a defense mechanism, it can become a highly useful
skill in the professional world. Small talk can help in meeting other people, building working
rapport, and developing wide networks.

What makes up small talk?

The foundation to small talk involves developing courage to approach people you do not know
well and some that are complete strangers. This requires courage because human beings
experience a universal fear of social judgement and the desire to be liked and accepted. So small
talk can be a window to developing personal or working relationships. However, opening that
window requires vulnerability by opening yourself up to another person and unknown situations.

Initiating small talk begins with a simple hello and introduction. However, an important first step
is to assess the benefits of approaching a certain person. What are your goals for meeting this
person and establishing some rapport? Do you know anything about this person that might be
useful in relating to him or her? These questions can help you have some focus when you begin
your small talk. The most vital communication skills to small talk involve active listening and
empathy. Active listening and empathy are key to small talk because they are fundamental in
building the beginning feelings of trust and will increase your likeability factor. Key to small talk
is to find points to relate to the other person. These points of relating will be discovered through
prior assessment of the person you wish to approach or if this is not possible, using active
listening and questioning to get to know certain facts about that person. Using that information to
then relate to the person is vital to small talk.

Why small talk is the elevator speech?


Small talk will involve a fine balance between gaining information from the other person and
providing the person with information about yourself. Context is important to know how much
talking should be done on your part. If you are in a professional setting, having an elevator
speech prepared can be helpful in guiding your small talk. An elevator speech is a 30 second
blurb in which you tell someone else what it is you do. Since in many situations, the start of any
small talk will begin with "Hi, how are you?" followed by, "What do you do?" Have a brief, yet
thorough, synopsis of what it is you do. This synopsis is often called an elevator speech because
if you are in an elevator with someone you may not know very well, it is a prime scenario for
small talk. The goal is to not get to deeply know the other person, but to simply provide enough
information about yourself that you leave the person wanting to know more about you.

Ending the Small Talk

If you feel as though the conversation has moved to a point where there is little left to relate to, it
may be that the small talk has reached its end. If you want to end the conversation or need to due
to time, the first rule is that it is okay to redirect yourself. A helpful strategy is to share
something that you enjoyed hearing from that person, while also using his or her name. For
example, "I really found your story on X to be really motivating, John." Following a statement
such as this with a thank you can signal to the other person you are ready to move on.
Alternatively, if you hear a person use a summary statement, or thank you for something, it may
be a cue to you that they are ready to move on. If this is the case, return the thank you and
sentiment of appreciation for the other person's time, and allow him or her to be on his or her
way. 

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