1.3. Small Talk
Learning Objectives
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
- Recognize appropriate and inappropriate small talk topics in the workplace.
- Demonstrate how to initiate and respond to small talk with co-workers in a polite and professional manner.
- Practice keeping a conversation going by using follow-up questions and comments.
Part 1: Brainstorming
- Do you know what small talk is?
- Is small talk common in your culture? If so, where and when do people usually use it?
- What topics are acceptable for small talk in your culture? Are there any topics people avoid?
- How do people in your culture greet strangers or start conversations with new people?
Part 2: What is small talk?
What is small talk?
Small talk is a short, casual conversation about simple topics like the weather, hobbies, or daily life. People use small talk to be friendly, start conversations, or feel comfortable in social situations. It is common in workplaces, social gatherings, and everyday life.
Listen to Emily talking about small talk and answer the below two questions.
- Why is small talk useful in the US workplace?
- What are the three ways to start a conversation successfully?
i) ____
ii) ____
iii) ____
Part 3: Your turn
Your turn
Imagine you are talking to a co-worker that you don’t know very well. What questions do you think would be okay for small talk and what questions do you think would NOT be okay for small talk? Put a check for the ones that you think are okay, an x for the ones that you think are not okay, and a ? if you aren’t sure.
Part 4: Practice
Activity 1: Imagine you’re having lunch with co-workers. For each of the conversation beginnings below, write 1 or 2 possible things you could say to keep the conversation going.
You: This weather is just crazy, isn’t it?
Co-worker: I know, it’s 60 degrees today and I heard it’s supposed to snow this weekend!
You: _____________________________________________
You: Are you planning to watch the big game this weekend?
Co-worker: I’m not sure yet. I’m not much of a football fan.
You: ___________________________________________
You: Do you have any brothers or sisters?
Co-worker: I have two sisters and one brother.
You: __________________________________________
You: How long have you worked here?
Co-worker: About 2 years.
You: _________________________________________
You: So, have you seen any good movies lately?
Co-worker: Yeah, I finally got around to watching Black Panther just this past weekend.
You: _________________________________________
You: Do you have any summer travel plans?
Co-worker: I’m hoping to go to back home to visit my family, but not much other than that.
You: ________________________________________
You: That’s a really nice shirt. Where did you get it?
Co-worker: I actually got this at Target.
You: _________________________________________
What would you say?
Imagine each of the following situations. What would you say to stay polite and friendly?
- You have a coworker who is having a birthday. You’re friendly with each other. He looks like he might be about 30, but you don’t know. You want to ask his age in a very polite way.
- A co-worker asks you how you ended up in the US, but it’s a long and difficult story that you don’t want to tell. How could you respond?
- You have been talking about your coworker’s weekend for the last few minutes and you’re ready to change the subject to something more serious. You need to ask for help with fixing a computer. What would you say
