DANIELLA BIANCHI
FEBRUARY 3rd, 2022
How many of you dread small talk? The number of times I have heard that joke about the weather (and I know you all know THAT joke), is at an all-time high. Often, we associate the lapse in conversation to “weather-talk” or similar, to mean, we cannot make a real connection with the other person. It is true that some people only know how to speak at small talk level (sadly) and in these conversations we probably won’t bond as strongly with the other. Yet, this fact doesn’t mean that we should criminalise small talk completely; it does have some impact. So, here’s
Small talk fosters trust and is the first impression, vocal style. As much as you may hate it, you shouldn’t really skip it. Anyway, as the name suggests, it is meant to just be a small part of a much bigger conversation, and it is the small things that really do count 😉.
The reality is, you are the one having the conversation, so you have partial control of what you talk about. Small talk can be interesting, and you shouldn’t be labouring through it. Much to my surprise, most people are not ready to jump straight into a philosophical debate on Gender Inequality in Australia or want to discuss right off the bat, the ins, and outs of the overused saying of “It is what it is”. Be mindful that small talk is key to breaking down barriers and making someone feel more willing to engage with you.
Think of small talk as the gateway into talking about the big things in life that tell you a lot about a person. If you find that there is still resistance after you have ticked off the small talk, cut your losses. If people are afraid of sharing their opinions or even worse, deflecting by saying “That is too deep”, I wouldn’t dedicate too much breath to trying to sustain the remaining conversation. Find value elsewhere. Those people who I really connect with are those who don’t shy away from such conversations. Thanks to that initial small talk portion, we are vibing and ready to go.
Small talk plays a different role from what we had expected, and upon inspection, we can say that small talk and substance-less conversations are different things. So, let’s not rush to banish that initial part of a conversation so quickly.
the go
on small talk.What is small talk anyway?
Small talk is the surface-level, introductory conversation that you usually have when you first meet a person, or even in the first five minutes of any conversation. Typically, not much of a real value is said. I’ve heard lots of people say that small talk is stupid, and we shouldn’t be having small talk anymore. Yet, for me, I feel such a talk builds the foundation of the conversation to come and makes all groups feel a bit more at ease. It also indicates if the conversation will flow or not. I doubt that you will manage to talk easily with someone who you stumbled through the weather with…Small talk fosters trust and is the first impression, vocal style. As much as you may hate it, you shouldn’t really skip it. Anyway, as the name suggests, it is meant to just be a small part of a much bigger conversation, and it is the small things that really do count 😉.
The reality is, you are the one having the conversation, so you have partial control of what you talk about. Small talk can be interesting, and you shouldn’t be labouring through it. Much to my surprise, most people are not ready to jump straight into a philosophical debate on Gender Inequality in Australia or want to discuss right off the bat, the ins, and outs of the overused saying of “It is what it is”. Be mindful that small talk is key to breaking down barriers and making someone feel more willing to engage with you.
Think of small talk as the gateway into talking about the big things in life that tell you a lot about a person. If you find that there is still resistance after you have ticked off the small talk, cut your losses. If people are afraid of sharing their opinions or even worse, deflecting by saying “That is too deep”, I wouldn’t dedicate too much breath to trying to sustain the remaining conversation. Find value elsewhere. Those people who I really connect with are those who don’t shy away from such conversations. Thanks to that initial small talk portion, we are vibing and ready to go.
Small talk plays a different role from what we had expected, and upon inspection, we can say that small talk and substance-less conversations are different things. So, let’s not rush to banish that initial part of a conversation so quickly.