Small talk is an important aspect of communicating and interacting with others. Although people often like engaging in serious and intriguing dialogue, it’s not the only kind of conversation they want to have. Additionally, small talk is another way to get to know someone better. When any of us do engage in small talk we send out messages about ourselves. However, for some small talk is not an easy thing to do.

Many of us believe we are not very good at small talk and because we believe this we avoid it. However, each and every one of us does engage in small talk at one time or another. Small talk can be as very simple as,

“How are you? How’s the family doing?”

Each of us has asked those questions, or similar ones of another person, numerous times. The response to questions like that generally runs along the lines of,

“Great! Thank you. And how are you doing?”

This is small talk.

If you have difficulty with small talk, don’t worry; a lot people have a problem with engaging themselves in small talk. There are many people who are shy and this shyness is one of the major reasons preventing them from initiating and even participating in small talk. But there are things you can do to that can help you engage in small talk.

Practice is the first attitude to adopt to learn to be a small talker. Practice with everyone you see. Ask the sales clerk how they are doing. Ask the person next to you in any line how are they doing. You can’t become a small talker by not practicing to become one. Overcome anything keeping you from small talk by practicing to be a small talker.

Another tip to follow is to become a walking warehouse of information. What this requires is that you read a lot and pay attention to the news and the current events, especially those events in your area. Being informed about what is going on in your social environment is a good source to making small talk. People enjoy talking and hearing about what is going on around them, and perhaps this is the best definition of small talk: talking about what is going on around people.

Because small talk is so crucial it can make or break a personal relationship, even intimate ones. Many women, for example, enjoy small talk very much. A man who can’t participate in small talk with them can actually cause them some frustration. If you can’t indulge in small talk with a woman they will become bored very quickly with you.

When you see an opportunity for small talk take a moment and think about what you are going say. Think about the conversation you might have with the other person. Conversations never happen in a vacuum. Each conversation has its own context, as well as environment. Look around your environment and you will find something to talk about in your surroundings.

Small talk will impact your success in every relationship because it shapes how those you are communicating with perceive you. Small talk sends messages regarding one’s intelligence; this is why becoming informative is so important. Also, it sends a message about your confidence. Research indicates that the perception from a good conversationalist is that they are intelligent and confident.

Adaptation is another small talk success secret. What this means is that, in order to engage in effective small talk, you must be able to adapt to your environment and surroundings, which includes those around you. Take your cues from those and you can’t go far wrong with small talk.

Author's Bio: 

Peter Murphy is a peak performance expert. He recently produced a very popular free report: 10 Simple Steps to Developing Communication Confidence. This report reveals the secret strategies all high achievers use to communicate with charm and impact. Apply now because it is available for a limited time only at: http://www.howtotalkwithconfidence.com/blog