4 Ways To Get Better At Small Talk 

As simple as it sounds, small talk doesn’t come easy for everyone. Thankfully, it’s a skill that can be improved if you struggle with it. Being good at small talk can be highly beneficial both in your personal and professional life. 

Practise

Small talk is a skill that you can improve. And the best way to do this is to find opportunities to practise every day. Whether you struggle with making eye contact, knowing what questions to ask, or listening more than you speak, pick a few areas you can work on consistently. You can do this by chatting up a cashier, a parent you meet at a school function, or someone sitting beside you on a bus. 

Instead of fretting over the possibility of getting rejected by someone you start talking with, go in with a mindset to have fun. Remember, you have nothing to lose. If you have a smooth conversation, you’ll probably have made a new friend, and, in the worst case, if you get rejected, you’ll definitely learn something from it. 

Watch Successful Conversationalists 

Watching comedies, talk shows, and podcasts are great ways to learn from good conversationalists. If you watch such shows, you’ll definitely pick up on the mannerisms of the people talking, the way they tell jokes, and the kind of questions they ask.

Listen more 

Most people fail to listen during conversations. They give in to the tendency to always get a word. However, one of the tips recommended in How to Win Friends and Influence People, the award-winning book by Dale Carnegie, is listening. Because everyone likes to talk about themselves, being attentive to a person during a conversation can make them warm up to you. Though it is often overlooked, listening is one of the most powerful conversation skills. 

Featured Image Source: The Muse