It's funny you bring up Terry Gross as an example. I've found, especially if you have trouble making small talk at parties, it helps to pretend to be an intervi

It's funny you bring up Terry Gross as an example. I've found, especially if you have trouble making small talk at parties, it helps to pretend to be an interviewer on a talk show. It puts you into a different mindset altogether. Obviously you shouldn't overdo it and spam the other person with questions; take care to chip in with a relevant personal detail about yourself.