• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
WittySparks Logo White

WittySparks

Ignite Your Thoughts

  • Topics
  • Reviews
  • Newsletter
WittySparks / Soft Skills / Strategies to Convert a Small Talk into a Lasting Conversation
Small Talk to Smart Conversation: Rules to Follow

Strategies to Convert a Small Talk into a Lasting Conversation

Soft Skills December 12, 2017 by Fabiha Siddiqui

There is nothing small about small talk. Small talk is an important people skill. It’s essential official expertise. It’s the initial step in associating with others and initiating enduring and important connections in business.

It is a simple approach to become acquainted with someone, leave a positive first impression, and increase self-assurance. Even to land a position in a company, working with customers, and engaging existing ones all to require communication skills.

“Small talk isn’t just about being gregarious or entertaining, it is a gesture of respect.” – Brett Nelson.

Brett Nelson

“In trying to generate business, the deal pitch is obviously critical. What is not so obvious is that simple, seemingly innocuous conversation with potential clients can be just as important. Companies want to hire people who can think on their feet,” says Scott Hoover, Associate Professor of Finance at Washington & Lee University.

Conversation Rules

It’s not about you. Tune in to people around you. Remember little details about the people you interact with, e.g. their stories. Asking open-ended ‘W’ questions – what, where, when, why & how always helps. It’s best to avoid close-ended questions that can be simply replied to with a yes or a no. Be consciously interested to learn further about other individuals or the topic that is being discussed, yet draw a line and remember your limits.

Build up the conversation. Communicate about your current and fresh experiences. For instance, the music at the gathering, the weather, the ambiance, the food. Warm-up to uncover your feelings and opinions; talking about your favorite sport or how the weather reminds you of Christmas with family, etc. Actively respond to the other person’s quests, opinions, etc, and enjoy the similarities and differences amongst each other.

Remember names. Be thoughtful and attentive. Make a conscious effort to remember the conversation details. Most importantly, do not forget the names. There’s nothing more impressive, in striking a great conversation with someone than remembering his/her name. Doing your homework about the individual’s interests likes and dislikes etc won’t hurt.

Quick getaway. There are times when situations don’t work in your favor. To avoid awkwardness in such situations it’s best to make an excuse, to make a phone call or to get a drink for example, and swiftly escape or take a quick exit. Such exit tactics leave room for you to join the discussion if required.

The art of small talk can help one build a stronger and lasting connection with other individuals, be it personally or professionally. Conversing about your interests and knowing other people’s interests is an extraordinary experience. Who knows, possibly this casual conversation can be the beginning of an epic kinship or business relationship.

Regardless of whether you fail or succeed, you can learn from those experiences and practice for improvement. The more you practice conversing with individuals the more polished and confident you will turn out. These encounters can also turn out to be the most rewarding experiences for life.

Conversation Strategy used in Businesses

These five phases are proven to turn small talks into smart conversations providing effective communication at the workplace, which each entail two or more elements important to take action on at that particular moment in time.

The phases are:

  1. Developing / Reviewing
  2. Sharing
  3. Translating
  4. Executing
  5. Monitoring
Turning Small Talk into a Productive Conversation
There is nothing small about small talk. Small talk is an important people skill. It’s essential official expertise.

Taken together, the phases make up a continuous and cyclical process and can take place in parallel with each other.

When a company is assessing its methodology it will still be attempting to execute the prior strategy simultaneously. The stages overlap however, it is possible to join the procedure at any given stage or even join when a particular component is being worked at. Depending upon the idea of the system improvement and the impact of the key decisions the steps to take further can be decided. Managing the whole process is essential, however, so as to effectively negotiate all stages.

Additionally, by recognizing and displaying your behavior around ‘experts’, you can give a try to role-playing. You can set up hypothetical situations, with your colleagues, friends, or a mentor, where you can describe the contact; their role; the place, and if there’s a business opportunity. A significant number of us fear role-playing, to begin with, however, once we take up a ‘role’ and understand that we are not being judged – but rather we are practicing to avoid awkward experiences – then it turns into a significant tool for shared learning and hardening great propensities.

If you are truly committed to becoming a smart conversationalist, you must consider the following:

It’s important to show interest in others and pay attention while they speak even if you have little to no interest in the topic of discussion. Bring out your curious side and play out to be a good listener.

Simultaneously, sharing about yourself is equally important. Share little details about your life that you are comfortable with, that can help the other person learns more about you and create a stronger bond with you.

Indulge further to keep the conversation going, by asking questions related to the topic being discussed. You can also share your point of view or experiences to keep the conversation flowing.

Be carefree and fun. The lighthearted approach in a conversation will be an instant win as humans have a tendency to quickly get attracted to someone who spears fun and laughter. Use this trait to your advantage.

Infographic Content Source: Involve.eu

Related Topics

  • Ikigai Book Review – Uncover the secret to a long and happy life
  • Book Review: Think Like a Monk by Jay Shetty
  • 5 Tips to Stop Overthinking and Start Doing
Previous Post: « Neurodiversity: Benefits of Recruiting Employees with Cognitive Disabilities
Next Post: Most Powerful Celebrity Businesswoman Of Today »
Profile picture for Fabiha Siddiqui

About Fabiha Siddiqui

Freelance writer at WittySparks
WittySparks Staff

A freelance writer, an Entrepreneur, Fashion & Model mentor, Events & Multimedia Specialist defines me as a whole. Apart from writing/blogging as my passion, I hold a decade of experience in the fashion & event industry. I also love playing around with all the graphic software; Photoshop & 3d max is my favorite. Work is like a drug that keeps me going, and I dearly enjoy my minor contributions to my dedicated arenas.

View all posts by Fabiha Siddiqui

Primary Sidebar

Search

Exclusive Coupons

  • Moqups coupon code: WITTYSPARKS for 20% or PARTNERS50 for 50% discount.
  • WPForms coupon code: WITTYSPARKS for 50% off.
  • Serpstat coupon code: wittysparks_discount for 30% off.
  • SEO Buddy coupon code: WITTYSPARKS for 25% off.
  • Morningscore coupon code: wittysparks for 30% off for 3 months.
  • FlexClip coupon code: WITTYSPARKS for 30% off.
  • Uplead coupon code: “witty” for 30-day free trial.
  • FastestVPN coupon codes: WITTYSPARKS15 or WITTYSPARKS10 or Get up to 93% OFF.
  • Outranking.io coupon code: WITTYSPARKS50 for 50% off.

For more such offers visit our exclusive offers for SEO, Bloggers, Marketers and for Business owners.

Featured Productivity Software

Notion logo
Notion

Whether you’re a solo entrepreneur or a large team, Notion Workspace can help you stay organized and get more done. Get started today and take your productivity to the next level.

Try Notion for FREE

Footer

Affiliate Disclosure

If you make a purchase from WittySparks links, we will receive a small commission. See our Affiliate Disclosure.

Sponsors

Partnered with FreePik to use the licensed images.

turn to dhgate for smartphone

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • LinkedIn
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • RSS

Copyright © 2023 · Hosting sponsored by Rocket.net (Affiliate link)

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • Like
  • Pinterest