The Fine Art of Small Talk

You've probably had this feeling when you meet somebody and are supposed to have a chat, but you just cannot think of some interesting topics to discuss. You end up being in an awkward position with two adults smiling politely to each other, but none of them daring to break the silence.


What is happening is that you both are trying to find an excuse to escape. (Phone call/suddenly remember that you have piles of work to do etc.)
It doesn't have to be like that. One of you can start a simple conversation with personal questions and than use the information provided in the form of  answers to continue.


Example:


"So you said you were born in X."
"Yes"
"Do they still have this shop Y"
"Yeah, and I go they every day"
"Really? Is the shop owner still Mr. Z?"
"Oh, yeah, he is a nice man"


Or


"Do you know long we are supposed to wait?"
"Probably 10 mins"
"Yeah, if they stick to the timetable. I wonder why they need so much time to give these simple results. They're probably chatting to each other"
"Or drinking coffee"
"They should use the break for this purpose"


And so on.


But of course you need a responsive interlocutor in order to continue the chat.
If he/she just gives you 1-word answers, you're in danger of another awkward moment.


Next time, I'll give you more tips for that. But for now, just have in mind this amazing book