The purpose of small talk is having a "harmless" way to get to know each other, to put out your feelers if you will. It's also great when stuck in an elevator,

The purpose of small talk is having a "harmless" way to get to know each other, to put out your feelers if you will. It's also great when stuck in an elevator, and so on. But that does not mean you have to be shallow or even dishonest, even when engaging in small talk, it just means you go slow, and err on the side of politeness. However, this might elude people who don't care much about honesty (See what I did there? Two can play the ad-hominem game ^^).