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I moved from San Francisco, where it was common to ask people "wnat do you do?", to South Carolina, where it's considered a little bit rude. For me, it was a pa

I moved from San Francisco, where it was common to ask people "wnat do you do?", to South Carolina, where it's considered a little bit rude. For me, it was a painful transition; I no longer find it easy to get into enjoyable conversations with new people. I've always found it difficult to talk about, e.g. food. "Isn't this food great?" "Yeah, it's delicious"! Similarly with the weather, or any other conversation where you're basically just repeating what's obvious to both of you. Of course some people prefer it this way, and genuinely enjoy small talk -- they don't feel a need to be talking "about something". Far be it from me to piss on their parade. But if you don't understand this need, consider yourself lucky.

TRiG_Ireland 4y ago
Generally, small talk serves to get people started: it makes the conversational juices flow. More interesting subjects may well then arise. (Or not, in which case, the brief conversation comes to a natural end, and you talk to someone else.)
leroy-is-here 4y ago
Here’s a trick: allow yourself to notice things and then comment on them. That’s what people want. A few examples: * Damn, she made these biscuits big as hell. Love these biscuits. * Not sure what 36 is doing on the sideline like that. * Hey man, that hat looks baller. * Yeah, last weekend I saw a dude in stilts
ttymck 4y ago
> "Isn't this food great?" "Yeah, it's delicious"! To me, that is not small talk. It's nothing: it's filler sounds made to break silence. Small talk would be: "what did you think of the food? I've never had potatoes cooked that way before." Give the other person something to go on, at least.