The event of the year is coming up: your company's summer party. This year, it's a big event because the founder is celebrating an anniversary. All business partners, service providers, and customers are invited. Since you've taken on the role of department head this year, this event is especially important for you. You can show your best side, make and deepen (business) contacts. But how do you start a conversation with potential partners? You don't want to be too direct and want to get to know your conversation partners first.

Small talk is perfect for starting conversations with strangers.

What is Small Talk?

Small talk is a casual, informal conversation. It helps you connect with strangers. It's not about deep conversations. It's about breaking the ice, making (business) contacts, and sometimes easing an awkward situation. Especially at work, small talk can help you warm up to someone through a light, "meaningless" chat and pave the way for a successful professional conversation.

Where Do We Need Small Talk?

A little chat can happen anywhere and we can include it everywhere. Whether shopping, at the checkout, in the park, at the gym, at the doctor's, or at a neighbor's birthday party.

But small talk is indispensable in professional life. It's not just about a nice chat with a colleague in the coffee kitchen. Even a good job interview starts with a short, introductory conversation. This helps ease the applicant's tension, create a pleasant atmosphere, and gives HR a first impression of the potential employee.

At trade shows, events, meetings, and Christmas parties, small talk helps ease the situation, win over potential business partners, and meet people.

Ideally, we remember what we talked about with our conversation partners. If we meet again later, we can refer to our last conversation, have a great conversation starter, and earn bonus points with our counterpart.

Bad Small Talk

There's a difference between good and bad small talk. Bad small talk is monotonous and/or one-sided. If our conversation partner only answers with "yes" and "no," it's hard to keep the conversation flowing. Then we should consider if it's our questioning technique or if our partner just isn't interested in small talk.

Things to avoid:

• Closed questions (yes/no questions)
• Crude pick-up lines
• "Interrogation"
• Showing disinterest (e.g., avoiding eye contact, looking around aimlessly)
• Monologuing
• Bringing up political topics
• Acting superior
• Private and work problems
• Gossip
• Sexism
• Religious views

Tips for Good Small Talk

Now we know what not to do in small talk. With so much to consider, how can we start a relaxed conversation? Don't worry - with a little practice, it's not that hard!

Here are some helpful tips to make small talk easier and more successful:

• Open and friendly body language and facial expressions
• Appear authentic
• Give compliments
• Maintain eye contact
• Ask open questions (encourage the partner to talk)
• Talk about the location you're in
• Discuss the buffet (food)
• Hobbies
• Find common ground (marital status, music, books, movies, etc.)
• Ask about the journey and if the hotel is okay
• Address by name
• Show interest by nodding
• Active listening
• Ask questions

These are many helpful pointers for what small talk can look like. Of course, topics always depend on the situation and place.

Some people find it hard to approach (strange) people and start a conversation spontaneously. But especially for introverts, small talk is a good way to make contacts. It's normal for this to be a hurdle at first.

But you can practice small talk:

• Speak to the person behind you at the supermarket checkout
• Talk to other dog owners while walking the dog
• Ask the person at the next table in a restaurant/café what they're eating or drinking
• Ask for help lifting a heavy box into the car trunk in the parking lot
• Practice body language and facial expressions in front of a mirror
• Before events, meetings, or interviews, write down topics to start a conversation

There are plenty of opportunities for small talk. It takes some courage at first, but the more we talk to people, the more confident we become and the more comfortable we feel in these situations.