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Comments on: How to Make Small Talk

49 Comments From eHow Members

on 12/24/2009 I liked this article. 5*

omghow said

on 10/4/2009 Great advice. small talk is not as easy for most people. Thanks for your support.

on 8/21/2009 Noce article. You may also be interested in this:
30 Tips on the art of small talk
http://www.theindiansabroad.com/2009/07/30-tips-on-the-art-of-small-talk/
thanks.

on 8/3/2009 this may also help. How to Understand A Black Woman
http://www.ehow.com/how_5252407_understand-black-woman.html

on 3/11/2009 Great article! 5*s!

sherryeam said

on 2/28/2009 I work on this all the time so this is a good article for me. I used to feel so uncomfortable in situations that called for small talk. Now I feel pretty good about it. Always nice to get more ideas.

on 2/25/2009 I used to be horrible at small talk. Where do you start? Who do you approach? I can't say I'm an expert at this point, but a good place to start a conversation is in the context of where you are, like the airport or doctor's office. "Hi, I came here because my friend/brother/neighbor recommended this doctor. What do you think?" works wonders. Why? You're asking someone for their opinion. Most EVERYONE, if they are in the least bit willing to talk, will offer their opinion. This helps you in two ways: 1) you don't have to know any details about the topic, and, 2) you can listen to what they say for clues on where to go next in the conversation. Of course, as noted elsewhere, if you get a short, "I don't know" or nothing, then they are either uninterested in talking OR they might not really know. You could follow up their short answer with, "I don't mean to pry, but why did you

jennen said

on 2/7/2009 Compliments always work, compliment hairstyles, shoes, cologne what ever stands out about a person at that very moment... good article will keep 5**

on 1/7/2009 The tricky thing is knowing how much to say-- knowing when to shut up is really tricky. The other thing is knowing how to get the other person to participate without seeming nosy.

ragavpayne said

on 1/6/2009 Here's a foolproof way to start a conversation with someone. Anyone!

1)Smile
2)Say Hey/Hi/Hello
3)Introduce yourself by saying "My name is..."
4)Offer a handshake
4)Say "nice to meet you"

By this time, you'll know if they're really ready for a conversation. After this ritual, some people would just smile and open up and start talking all by themselves. Some others would just sit there quietly after shaking hands. This might be because they're perhaps in a grumpy mood, just busy or if they're caught up in some thoughts or if they're just naturally asocial.

Some tips:-

Just be inventive and spontaneous.
Be polite while you do all this.
Don't be judgmental


By this time, you'll get a context of what this person is like. With this knowledge, you can continue further conversation with ease. And it gets better after every

Goodluck!

on 1/3/2009 well, im not saying that Im any good at all, but from what I learned when I do try the small talk is the other person will give you numerous things to talk about if they want to talk. But then it seems that if you try to start the conversation and they answer with short and concise answers, they don't want to talk and it is a wasted conversation from then on. it may be salvageable, but I doubt it.

If you are waiting at an airport, the first line would be a no brainer...."So, where are you heading to?"

on 1/3/2009 well, im not saying that Im any good at all, but from what I learned when I do try the small talk is the other person will give you numerous things to talk about if they want to talk. But then it seems that if you try to start the conversation and they answer with short and concise answers, they don't want to talk and it is a wasted conversation from then on. it may be salvageable, but I doubt it.

If you are waiting at an airport, the first line would be a no brainer...."So, where are you heading to?"

hhow said

on 10/30/2008 I really need to know the exact one lines one should say to a stranger, lets say in an airport or a bar (the two places I find myself alone a lot!). One liners that are open enough to let one get into a conversation.

hhow said

on 10/30/2008 The thing with me is that I am very good at conversing about anything under the sun. I also do not have any fear of strangers or confidence issues. I just don't know what exactly to say to a complete stranger.

So for example, If I am waiting at the airport and there's someone sitting right next to me, I'd just not know what to say to him/her to get into a conversation. Now someone else will come and sit on the other side of the same person and in no time the two will be chatting away to glory with me looking like a complete loner.

What is frustrating is when I hear the two talk, I realize that only if the other person had opened up a conversation with me, I'd probably have been a better company! But since I guess the other guy/gal was also not good at opening a conversation, he/she just waited for me to start and I never did.

I really need to know the exact one lines one shoul

on 9/19/2008 very good ideas

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