Small talk
is a skill, just as learning how to bake a cake from a cookbook is a skill.
There are clear phases to every conversation and teachable steps you can take
to master each of these phases. If you learn and practice them, you will
discover that you really can learn to be confident in any conversation.
The Oxford Dictionary defines small talk as “polite conversation about unimportant or uncontroversial matters, especially as engaged in on social occasions.” Put another way, its entire purpose is to build relationships. This is why conversations about “unimportant” topics can actually be some of the most important kinds of communication we have with people. As nationally known social networking expert Phil Gerbyshak put it, “Make friends first, and do business last.” It would not be an exaggeration to say the most important networking skill you can develop is to simply delight in the company of other people.
There is a
popular saying that all business is personal, and it is true from the mailroom
to the boardroom. People who like you are much more willing to help you,
support you, and even promote or make deals with you. More often than not,
these good relationships start with people showing an interest in others by
engaging in small talk.
