It’s called making small talk, and almost
all of us are compelled to do it on occasion.
“Is it still hot out there?”
“Did you watch the game last night?”
“How was your weekend?”
If you dismiss making small talk as fluffy and
frivolous, we have news for you: Small talk isn’t necessarily small — or at
least the purpose it serves isn’t.
In fact, chitchat at the water cooler can make you seem accessible instead of stuffy.
Making small talk allows admin professionals to show who they are, to let their
personality shine through to others.
Let’s take a closer look at why this is important
and the value of an effective small talk conversation in the office, at
professional events and when searching for a new job. Along the way, you can
grab some tips for mastering the art of small talk and feeling comfortable
engaging in it.
Why make the effort to chitchat?
Making small talk can pay big dividends when it
comes to your career. Here are some benefits of taking the time to engage in a
small talk conversation:
Creating rapport
Though small talk topics are light and relatively
insubstantial (hey, that’s why it’s called small talk), the very act of making
small talk can create connection and rapport with your colleagues, supervisor,
outside clients and business vendors. Small talk can become the bridge that
leads to feelings of trust and comfort with others.
Small talk is especially important for
administrative professionals, who are often the face of the company or
department. It’s a soft skill, along with other forms of communication, that can lead to
deeper discussions and stronger bonds with others in your current job — or with
hiring managers if you’re trying to land a new position.
Improving mood
Research from the University of Arizona has shown that
people’s feelings of well-being are generally higher when engaged in any kind
of talking compared with when they are silent. While the research showed that
discussing more substantive, meaningful topics produced the highest mood lift,
idle chitchat (say about food or the weather) was also found to increase
happiness.
Boosting brain power
A study by University of Michigan researchers found that
friendly short-term social interactions — in other words, a small talk
conversation — boosted performance and problem-solving ability. Even basic
“get-to-know-you” chatter resulted in cognitive boosts.
Tips for being better at making small talk
Making small talk doesn’t come naturally to
everyone. If you’re an introvert, networking and other professional events that
involve schmoozing may feel intimidating. Even extraverts may try to avoid this
type of conversation when they can.
Whether you’re apprehensive about making small talk
or can’t wait to get started, these tactics can help get the ball rolling:
Watch for signs
Some situations invite a small talk conversation
while others offer red flags that suggest it’s probably best to skip it.
Learning to distinguish the difference can have a major effect on the success
of your efforts at making small talk.
Whether with strangers at an industry event, during
the job search process or with colleagues in the office, keep an eye out for body language that suggests people are open to small talk — as
well as signs that they’d rather keep to themselves. For example, if someone
makes eye contact with you, it’s likely a sign that he or she is eager to chat.
If someone deliberately avoids eye contact, is trying to concentrate or looks
away consistently when you try to connect, then the person is probably not in
the mood.
Want to get better at reading the subtle signs and signals of your
colleagues and coworkers? Download Business
Sense: Putting Your Intuition to Work for the insight you need.
Practice the basics
When it comes to your own “small talk signals,” a
little eye contact can go a long way in helping you initiate a connection with
someone. It takes time to develop this skill and make it seem natural, but it’s
definitely worthwhile. Practice in a low-risk environment, like with trusted
friends or colleagues, before taking it “on the road.”
Also try to keep the conversational focus on the other
person to avoid becoming too self-conscious — you might even drop a sincere
compliment if you can do so naturally.
When it comes to phone interviews or video interviews via Skype, making small talk can be
appropriate at the outset when trying to build rapport with your interviewer.
Find common ground
Small talk isn’t about having difficult conversations or bringing up controversial topics. In fact, that’s the exact opposite of
small talk! Successfully making small talk is all about establishing an
authentic connection, and a great way to get there is to find something you
have in common with another person.
Once you’ve found a common issue, be careful not to
overshare and dominate the conversation with your own views about it. If you
can get the other person talking and can be a good listener, you’ll have a
better chance of developing sincere rapport. The small talk topics below will
help you identify likely areas of mutual interest.
Key small talk topics
If you’re nervous about making small talk, it can
help to have some ready-to-go small talk topics up your sleeve. Remember, your
goal of starting a small talk conversation is to build rapport by identifying
something that you have in common with the other person.
Whether you’re trying to work the room, in the
first awkward moments of a job interview or riding the elevator with your
supervisor, these small talk topics can help break the ice:
Background
Most people love an opportunity to talk about
themselves, and they’ll have a positive impression of you if you give them this
chance.
Asking polite general questions about someone’s
background can be an easy way of making small talk. Questions about where the
person grew up, went to school or has traveled are fair game, as are queries
about what brought him or her to the area if you’re meeting at an event.
Industry
Shoptalk is an instant connecter when you’re in a
professional situation and is a great way to discover quick commonality. If
you’re at a networking event with people in different industries, asking
someone about what they do and sharing what you do as an administrative
professional can bridge the gap and turn strangers into acquaintances.
You might ask what company they work for, what
their roles are there or what made them choose their line of work. With current
colleagues, you might ask their opinion about a departmental project or
emerging topic within the administrative field.
Interests
If you can discover an outside activity that you
have in common with someone, you’ll be off to the races in your small talk
conversation.
Before meeting with a hiring manager or talking to
a recruiter during your job search, it can pay to check LinkedIn to see if the
profile gives clues as to the person’s outside interests. If you aren’t sure
about a colleague’s or conference attendee’s interests, stick with general
questions about hobbies, sports, vacations or other outside pursuits.
In short, there’s a lot more to making small talk
than meets the eye. As a form of communication that can grease the wheels to
relationship building and open doors to professional opportunities as an admin,
you would be wise to master the art of small talk.
Source :
https://www.roberthalf.com/officeteam/blog/how-to-get-better-at-making-small-talk
