Kick-starting small talk

Small talk, considered the bane of intelligent conversation doesn’t have to be.  Let’s face it, awkward as it is, sometimes you just have to make it to avoid worse awkwardness.  Parties? Trade shows? Your new girl friend’s friends when she leaves you alone?

Wired’s How-to Wiki has some ideas for how to get the ball rolling.  Thomas Farley, editor of etiquette guide Modern Manners, breaks it down like this:

Initiate

Open with a question when trying to break the ice. Probably something better than — come here often or what’s your birth-sign?

Think Ahead

Start planning your next move while you’ve got them talking. Listen for possible intelligent questions. People like to talk about themselves, let them. Don’t use the opportunity to just “one up” them.

Three topics max

Probably limit the amount of topics you try to  talk about, they suggest movies, travel and fiction — I’d suggest, if you’re both guys, make it cars, sports, and women.

Close out

When you’re ready to move on, make an excuse of the I-need-to-talk-to-the-host variety and tell them you enjoyed the conversations (even if you didn’t).

There, now you’re on the way to small talk success. Read the wiki entry.

[via lifehacker]