How to - Use Small Talk to Get Big Outcome Small talk, cocktail chatter, kibitzing – it’s the communication staple of networking. Many people confess that they are not very good at it; so they end up either avoiding it completely, talking on and on about things that hold no interest for anyone, or making a sales pitch as soon as they are introduced.

Shooting the breeze EFFECTIVELY is strategic and focused. You can use small talk to help develop a team, create and strengthen your relationship with colleagues, obtain leverage to help secure support or simply make your relationships more pleasant.

If you enjoy the art of making conversation, it is probably because you like learning about other people. However, many people simply enjoy hearing themselves talk! Not that there is anything wrong with that, but if you want to harness the power of small talk, enhance your relationships, or improve the work environment you will have to give up listening to yourself and begin learning about others.

Engage Them

Reduce the amount of declarative sentences you say and increase the number of questions you ask. Shift from “Hey Donna! I just saw the new Indiana Jones movie over the weekend,” to, “Donna, do you like movies?”

You already know what you like and don’t like. Rather than use up valuable air time repeating what you already know, use small talk to learn something new. If knowledge is power, then the more you know about Donna, the stronger your basis for communication with her.

Small talk allows you to learn the wants, needs, goals, desires, thoughts and hot buttons of the people with whom you work, and those with whom you want to work. The more you know about these folks, the more effectively you can communicate with them.

It is to your advantage to appeal to the self interests of others, and small talk is the vehicle that can help you learn about those interests.  10:46 AM •