The art of small talk
Network, chat, meet people – panic!
Some people manage to get out the words “What do you do?” and then the conversation splutters to a halt. There are many talented, educated, wonderful people out there who find small talk incredibly difficult. And yet it is often a critical component of our working lives.
Casual conversation happens all around us dozens of times a day. Yet once you put a work context into the mix – things begin to change. For many people anxiety levels rise and the desire to hang around the drinks table at these social gatherings increases.
Attendees on this course have often voiced two concerns about so-called ‘small talk’
- firstly, that it’s sometimes seen as the poorer cousin of REAL talk. They don’t want to be seen as being superficial.
- secondly, that it can come across as smooth talking.
But the truth is that you rarely get to more intimate conversations without the way having been paved by some sort of interaction that lets two people start to relax in each other’s company. And, if your intentions are right, if you have integrity, then you can avoid the danger of being seen as a smooth talker.
Acquiring conversational skills is not rocket science. Enhancing those skills has an amazing ripple effect – becoming a good conversationalist will bring new people into your network of friends and colleagues, increase your knowledge and give you more energy and interest in your working life.
What attendees will get out of this course
- How to start (and end!) a conversation
- How to keep conversations going, even when you think you have nothing to say
- How to feel more at ease at social gatherings
- How to feel more in control of the situation, rather than it controlling you!