Conversations
Small talk practice for people who hate small talk
Small talk is not about weather trivia. It is a two-minute audition for a real conversation: you offer something, they offer something, and one of you follows up hard enough to get somewhere interesting. The skill is the follow-up, and it is very practisable.
The pattern: offer, ask, follow up twice
Two follow-ups is the threshold where small talk becomes a conversation. Most people give up after one and change the subject.
At a work event
- Offer: "I drove three hours for this and I still don't know anyone."
- Ask: "How did you end up here?"
- Follow up: "Wait — you switched from teaching? What made you jump?"
- Follow up again: "What surprised you most in the first month?"
Openings that beat "what do you do?"
- "What brought you here?" — works at any event, invites a story.
- "How do you know [host]?" — instant shared ground.
- "Have you been to one of these before?" — safe, and admits you might not have.
- An honest observation about the room, then a question.
Leaving without being rude
Name the exit and give a reason: "I'm going to grab a drink before the talk starts — good to meet you." People remember an awkward exit far longer than a short conversation.
Common questions
- How do I get better at small talk?
- Practise two things only: asking a second follow-up before you talk about yourself, and one exit line. Both can be rehearsed out loud in a few short sessions.
- What if I find small talk pointless?
- Treat it as the doorway rather than the room. Two minutes of it is the price of the conversation you actually want.
Practise five minutes of small talk
With a stranger who will never remember it.
Practise small talkFree, with no payment details and no locked features.