How To Sound More Fun And Interesting During Small Talk

“LISTEN and REMEMBER. Practice listening every time you’re anywhere. On the public transit. Take the earphones out, stare at nothing, and listen to the conversations around you, if any. In a restaurant. In a line-up. Ask yourself, ‘If I had to talk to them, what would I ask based on what I heard?’ And then try to remember some themes of the random conversation that you heard 10 or 20 minutes ago, or a day ago. Then watch other people who are good at conversations, and note what they listen to and what they remember later. ‘Hey, you said yesterday you were going to the beach. Did you have a good time?’ or ‘I hope it didn’t take too long to get your driver’s license renewed the other day.’ LISTEN and bring up the things you REMEMBER about your last interaction with them, if any. It’s half of any decent conversation.” — the_original_Retro

“If you can find an improv group, do it! Improv theater games is 100% how I learned to interact with people because it’s a great way to practice the skill of being able to say things off the cuff, just as you do in small talk and conversation.” — FunnyResolve1374

“Don’t be afraid to over share. This might just be me but I used to think I talked a lot so if someone asked, ‘How are you today?’ I’d say something like, ‘I’m okay, I was going to do this but then that happened.’ I’ve learned over the years that this is good. Sometimes you just need to take the reins and give them more of the convo to work with.” — A_Wild_VelociFaptor

“Asking open ended questions so the other person can do most of the talking. Ask questions about what they’re talking about and stuff relating to it.” — inezio

“Talk to old men sitting at the park or on a bench in the mall while their partner is in some store. Old men will talk to anyone about anything and you’ll become more at ease just shooting the breeze.” — RaceMcPherson

“Learn to be truly interested in the small things that make up small talk. In most interactions, you are engaging someone in a moment they won’t remember in the long run. Be fascinated by the implications of those moments.” — CalamityCat81

“It’s really pretty easy; try to learn everything you can about the person you’re talking to. Ask lots of questions! Try to keep the number of times you talk about yourself to a minimum, and even then, make sure it’s related to what they’re talking about.” — hoppersoft

“Remember it takes two. Some people are harder to talk to, and others will do all the work for you. Your effort and their effort both matter to the flow of conversation.” — FunnyResolve1374

“The cheater version? Mirroring and labelling. They tell you a bunch of stuff. ‘Yeah I went down to the gym the other day and it was brutal?’ You: ‘It was brutal?’ They will keep talking and expanding on their point. This is mirroring. After they’ve told you a bunch of stuff you label what they’re saying: ‘It sounds like you’re very devoted to being healthy.’ They will appreciate the statement, and keep talking, then you mirror them again, and again, until you find something to label. You will have a small conversation with someone and you’ll never actually have to say anything. You could work some stuff in, but it’s a good safety net to practice small talk.” — blankyblankblank1

“Be less self-critical of your thoughts. If it’s worth thinking, it’s worth saying aloud, in my opinion. I mean, filter out the really weird stuff, but don’t censor yourself because you think something might be too boring. Just say it. Move the conversation forward. Anything is better than just standing there and nodding.” — monkeyhat7