“SMALL TALK” in English

Easy Steps to Follow for an Interesting Conversation

Small Talk is an informal type of conversation that natives love. It is essential on a day-to-day basis, particularly for networking, in many situations at work and or when meeting new people as a conversation starter.

To be absolutely honest with you here, I used to dislike small talk because I didn´t know how to start or what exactly I had to say next. I was a bit lost, but in time I understood not only the important role it plays in English culture, but also how to make great small talk in any situation. And, as always, I want to share it with you!

Small talk is considered polite in English culture, but you need to bear in mind that it is all about unimportant topics. What does that mean? Well, it simply means that wherever you are, you should get the conversation going but about topics that may not be crucial or relevant to save the world! It is used to get to know others around you and to find a connection with them. It may help you break the ice in any stressful or uncomfortable situation or start a conversation with someone new.

I must warn you: do not try to talk about religion or politics. These are topics only for friends and family because some people think they are too personal and you may come across someone with strong opinions...so the conversation may not end up the way you had planned.

BE CURIOUS

Something people love to do at some point is talking about themselves, así que aprovéchate and start by asking common questions like:

Any exciting plans for tonight/this weekend/tomorrow...?

What do you do?

What you´re really asking is about people´s jobs or studies and this may be followed by questions about where they work, how they get there, what they enjoy about it...

Talking about their job may take up most of the time of your conversation because in English culture it´s a common topic and they can spend hours and hours talking about it.

Some questions you can ask your colleagues during a coffee break are:

What are you working on at the moment?

Are you working on something interesting right now?

What do you think about ....?

How is the day going?

ASK ABOUT GENERAL INTERESTS

This means you can go personal but not that much; so you may want to ask about interests or how that person spends the weekends:

Do you have any hobbies?

Do you travel a lot? I´ve heard there are nice places in ...

TALK ABOUT EASY-TO-FOLLOW TOPICS

Things that everyone could know just by watching the news, reading the headlines or browsing on the Internet:

Have you heard about ....?

I saw .... the other day and I was surprised/shocked/..., what do you think?

When are you going to try a great "small talk"?

If you find this useful and think that others may too, I´d appreciate if you can share it and stay connected.