Small Talk about Big Thing’s

Small talk: the great art of "small talk"

Do you think that small talk is a waste of time? Misrepresentation. Successful small talk is a very important factor in a career.

Rising in the morning in the office, you encounter an elevator with the boss. Your actions:

a) Say hello and wait for the boss himself starts a conversation.

b) Say hello and make a note about the weather.

The correct answer is the last one, because having talked with the chef in a neutral way, you will make a good impression on him. A harmless remark about traffic jams on roads, crowded subways or a sunny day is what you need, experts advise. But where to start such a conversation, sometimes even top managers do not know.

Not harmless conversation is not for everyone

It would seem that nothing is easier than to talk about "this - this," "about nature - about the weather." But if it was really that easy ... 

A practicing communication consultant teaches at his seminars how to conduct an easy conversation - small talk. Just in the professional sphere, you should not underestimate its importance.

"Any contact begins with small talk, so it's like a first mutual scan. Small talk is a very important factor in a career because it often depends on your contacts and relationships with certain people"

"Do not forget that small talk is just a means, so its content should not be in the foreground, in fact, the general atmosphere of the conversation is important." During a small talk, we subconsciously analyze the person's posture, his intonation, the general mood. We receive a lot of non-verbal information, which is why we need an easy, seemingly meaningless conversation. "

Important…

To small talk succeeded, experts recommend following several rules:

- Try to find a common theme as soon as possible, then your interest in the conversation will be genuine.

Listen carefully and show interest in what you hear.

- Ask open-ended questions, that is, those that are not followed by a monosyllabic answer "yes" or "no."

- Make compliments to your companion. But do not overdo it. Your praise should be justified.

- Regularly read and start an original hobby. This will make you an entertaining companion.

You can not ...

There are a number of things that you should not do, so that a casual conversation succeeds:

- Do not start a long conversation if you see that your interlocutor is in a hurry or busy with something else.

- Do not retell the contents of books or films, if no one but you is familiar with them.

- Do not affect those that can cause conflict or get unpleasant development. Such topics include politics, religion or illness.

In the US it is considered quite acceptable to talk about income, in Germany this topic is taboo.

How good this or that topic is, sometimes depends on the national mentality. "For example, in the south of Europe, the interlocutors often start talking about the family almost immediately, but in Germany, with not very familiar people, this topic is not discussed," the expert cites the example. "Not wanting to, we can touch someone with our question. , our interlocutor painfully experiences a divorce, or he has no children, because he can not have them. "The family theme is quite intimate, so it's better to bypass it."

It's right to lead small talk under everyone's power. You just need to constantly train: in the store, at the bus stop or at the gym. Then, at an important meeting or party, you can easily relax on general topics. Perhaps the next acquaintance will play a decisive role for your career.

It is not possible to please everyone, the main thing is not to offend anyone.

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