8 Tips to Up Your Small Talk Game

8 Tips to Up Your Small Talk Game 8 Tips to  Up Your Small Talk Game   Smartphones  help us  avoid face-to-face conversations.  While technology can help people connect with one another, face-to-face conversations are still as important as ever.  One often overlooked, but  essential,  conversation style is small talk.  While it isn’t always easy, people really can  improve and avoid  the  awkward silences.      I reached out across the Atlantic Ocean  to Barbara Davidson in the United Kingdom  and she shared the following  about  the importance of  getting better at making small talk.  â€œSmall talk is a fact of life. And while some people are naturals, the rest of us struggle to know what to say during casual chit-chat. Those awkward silences grow painful, and leave you feeling like a social failure!”   So,  the  next time your mind runs blank,  consider following these  pointed techniques to keep yourself  engaged  and present  in  conversational small talk.     Make eye contact. This helps  build a sense of trust, which makes it easier to talk to each other. Even if you’re shy, try looking your small talk partner in the eye, and varying your look to their other eye and mouth every few moments.     Come up with alternative ways to ask classic questions. Rather than saying: “What do you do for a living?” say something like: “What’s keeping you busy these days?”   Look for  non-confrontational conversation topics  and stay away  from  hot-button topics like  politics or religion.  Think FORD: Family, Occupation, Recreation and Dreams.  Try to keep your questions to those four general topics.     Listen carefully and  ask for details about what the other person is saying  instead of searching your mind for  the next  new topic to bring up. Conversations are easier when you ramp-up the empathy as you listen.   Repeat or restate something the other person has  said in your own words. This indicates you are paying attention and engaged in what  the other person is  saying.     Communicate with positive body language. Be sure to face the other person, keep your arms uncrossed and your sides, and lean in slightly.     Discuss where you are. Obviously, you are both in the same physical space; use this as a conversation starter and ask about any music that might be playing or food they are serving.     Exit gracefully. When the encounter is over, incorporate the phrase “I need.” This places the burden on ending the conversation on you and shows you aren’t leaving because of boredom.     Barbara Davidson’s full article and accompanying  infographic  further details  the  tips  to help  improve your small talk game.     Small talk is a  learned skill like any other.  Learning how to do it  better  can have  positive  benefits for your career, social life,  and the way you feel inside.  Once you’ve mastered  these tips you will be more comfortable with small talk and can  leave talking about the weather to the weather reporters.     Join Dana Manciagli’s  Job Search Master Class ®  now  and get the most comprehensive job search system available!