Small talk is a skill. Like any skills, you need to practice to get better at it. Professor Carducci offers these suggestions:

• He says to start small, with a simple greeting or compliment which can build into a conversation.
• Try to be nice, not brilliant. You don’t need to be funny or witty.
• A good way to practice is to talk to someone who’s alone and begin a conversation.
• Have something to say. If you think you have nothing to say you may be self-conscious and self-critical. Carducci suggests “social reconnaissance” or making an effort to learn about current events, the local area and local issues in order to have something to talk about. Reading newspapers and catching up on major sporting news can be ways to “prime the pump.”
• Rehearse your introduction. People want to know your name and something about you. Offer information that will help move the conversation along (what you do or how you know the people in the social situation). Think about it ahead of time.
• Don’t be late. “If you walk in and everything is already buzzing, you’re already behind,” Carducci said. “Groups have already formed. If you get there on time, you’re greeting people and pacing the conversation. You bring the new people into the conversation — ‘I’m so and so, and this is A, B and C., and we were just talking about …”
• Extend the conversation which evolves from one topic to another. Focus on the task at hand, the conversation.
• Stop talking. Avoid dominating the conversation and stop periodically to give others a chance to change the topic. If people are interested in what you said, they’ll ask you questions.

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