Social English. The rules of small talk.

Here are some rules to help you make small talk. First of all, it’s better to ask open questions.

Example 1:

“Are you enjoying the conference?” – “Yes”

“What do you think of the conference?” – “I’m really enjoying it. I went to a fascinating presentation this morning.”

Secondly, give more information than the questioner asked for.

Example 2:

“Where are you from?” – “Wales”

“Where are you from?” – “I live in England, but I come from a small village in the Welsh Valleys.”

Thirdly, start with questions about a general topic.

Example 3 (Bad):

“Nice to meet you.” – “You too.”

“What do you think of the new IP25X protocols?” – “Sorry? What?”

Example 3 (Good):

“Nice to meet you.” – “You too.”

“How long have you been with the company?” – “About four years. And you?”

Fourthly, ask questions in return.

Example 4:

“What do you do?” – “I’m an engineer. I work in the oil industry.”

“What do you do?” – “I’m an engineer. I work in the oil industry. What about you?” – “I work in the Marketing Department of a luxury goods company.”

And fifthly, sound interested in what the other person is saying.

Example 5:

“I was at a conference in São Paulo last week.”

“Oh. Really? I’ve never been to South America. What was it like?”

So, the rules of making small talk are:

• Ask open questions.
• Give more information.
• Start with a general topic.
• Ask questions in return.
• And sound interested.