This is How You Up Your Small Talk Game

One conversation at a time

Source: Helena Lopes on Unsplash.

Those dreadful elevator rides with the person or people at work you never speak to.

Those lulls in the day in meetings where you find yourself speaking the way you never speak.

Those instances at a family function you find your voice at a different octave asking questions that invoke a mannerism you find consistent with kindness.

No matter how little it’s spoken about, we all have these situations arise in our everyday lives. We wait for those seconds to tick away so we can escape that eternal awkwardness and be free. Those moments always seem to last the longest — especially when you dread them the most.

It doesn’t need to be dreadful. It doesn’t need to be awkward. In fact, the things you’re asking about are probably just bad. You know they can be better. Yet, your ability to make a connection in that short span of time seems thwarted. Sometimes, by you. Sometimes, by the universe. Other times, you can’t explain why the words don’t happen the way they need to.

Here are some things to make those connections during small talk suck less.

Stop asking “How are you?” or “How are you doing?”