Hey everyone and welcome back to another Easy English Podcast.
Small talk.
So this is something which a lot of learners want to get better at.
And it's something which happens all the time in English, especially in the UK and the US.
It is very common.
And small talk is that casual, everyday conversation that native speakers seem to do effortlessly.
But let's be quite honest small talk can feel a little bit awkward, even in our own native first languages.
So if you've ever felt a little bit unsure about what to say or how to keep a conversation going in English, don't worry, you're definitely not alone.
And today I am going to break it down for you.
We're going to talk about why small talk is important in English, the different types of topics which I think work the best and, most importantly, how you can sound natural and confident when making small talk in English.
So relax, sit back, listen, and let's have a little chat.
So why should we even bother with small talk in the first place?
I noticed so much back when I moved home to the UK, how much people here really love small talk.
It happens all the time, especially in Northern Ireland.
When you're in public, maybe in an elevator, perhaps waiting on a bus, in a taxi.
People love to have little conversations.
But what is the point of these short, sometimes completely meaningless conversations?
Well, small talk is actually very important in English for building connections.
It's the first step in getting to know someone and making social situations feel more comfortable for everyone.
Just imagine you're at a party or you're in an elevator with a co-worker and if no one talks, it can feel a little bit awkward.
Particularly in cultures where people love to talk and small talk fills that space and makes a feeling of friendliness.
And it's a huge part of both professional and social life in English speaking countries.
Whether you're at work meeting new people or just chatting with a barista while grabbing a coffee.
Smalltalk will help you to connect, build rapport and create a good impression.
But here's the thing, native speakers don't really always expect deep, meaningful conversations.
And often a simple casual chat can be just enough to make someone feel more comfortable around you.
I like to think of small talk as something which removes that feeling of being strangers.
Even if we don't learn anything about each other, it's enough to connect each other, to feel like we aren't strangers in the one place.
So what should you talk about?
There are some topics that I think work a lot better than others.
So we're going to look at a few of those now and kind of see which ones are the most safe, maybe easy as well to talk about and quite natural.
And I know what you're thinking.
The most common topic is probably the weather.
And this is right.
So I know it sounds boring but trust me, native speakers, particularly in the UK, love talking about the weather.
It is like the number one English hack, English cheat code to have conversations with anyone.
You might be able to say, oh, it has been so rainy this week.
Or, whoa, it's finally starting to get warmer.
I can't wait for spring.
You know, these are very common ways to start a conversation.
Just making an observation, a comment about the current weather situation and expressing an emotion around it.
And then likely.
Usually what happens is, the other person will then express their opinion and their emotion.
They'll probably agree with you and maybe say, yeah, the weather has been so bad lately.
I really hope it will get nicer soon.
And it's simple, it's easy, and you can just talk about how the weather really is right now.
It doesn't require a lot of practice or training.
And that's why, although it's boring, I recommend it as the number one first small talk topic to use.
The next one is just simply to look at your surroundings.
So what is happening around you?
If you're at an event for example, you can look around and say, wow, this place is really nice.
Have you been here before?
Or if you're at work and you've just finished a meeting, you can say oh, that meeting was quite long, wasn't it?
The easiest way to summarize this type of small talk is just saying what everyone is maybe thinking, saying the obvious things out loud.
So just what you're thinking, what has just happened?
And it starts conversation like just basic, meaningless conversation.
Like, for example, you're waiting on a bus and it's a little bit late.
You can say, oh, wow, this bus is taking forever.
I wonder if it's ever going to arrive.
You're just expressing what you're feeling and what is happening around you.
Okay, and now the next one is current events.
But I always recommend to keep it light.
Maybe something related to sports entertainment, some kind of world news, but do try to avoid politics generally.
Remember, you don't really know the people that you're doing small talk with, mostly.
So keep it safe.
Keep it to safe, common events or things that are happening.
Don't dive straight into a super deep conversation that you think someone might want to talk about, when in reality they just want to pass the time with some simple conversation.
And finally, asking about the other person or asking questions is always a really good strategy.
So simple questions like how's your day going or what do you do for work can really lead into longer conversations and can lead out of small talk.
So you can start with those smaller topics and then move into more of those questions to find out a little bit about that person.
Okay, so we're going to now look at how to sound a little bit more natural with your small talk.
So it's not so robotic, you know, like it's not unnatural.
But first I want to show you another series that I have.
So I'm going to just take a minute and show you about brand new series which is available on patreon, and then we'll get right back to the episode.
Hello, i want to show you today a little bit about the new series that i have and it's on patreon.
So this has been going for a little while um, and if you subscribe to the patreon you get access immediately.
I think there's about eight episodes of news in easy english, So it's more for if you're looking for something a little bit more advanced, if you want to learn maybe, some phrases related to politics, to the news, to more sciency topics.
And in each episode, I read a short news article.
So a short news article, and we learn some specific new words and phrases.
So you have the audio and then the text alongside some of these new words and phrases.
So you can see some examples here of different articles or topics.
So if you're interested in this and you would like to get access to this bonus content So this series, as well as lots of bonus episodes click on the link in the description below for the Patreon and you can choose however much you want to donate on your tier.
All the tiers are the same, so you just pick what you think this project is worth to you.
So thank you very much for listening, and I'll let you get back to the podcast episode.
Okay, so now that we know what to talk about, let's look at how to make it sound natural.
So here are a few things that native speakers do that can help you to sort of blend in with small talk.
First, instead of just replying with very short words like one word, like yes or no, you should try to use short, casual phrases or responses.
For example, if someone asks you how's your day or how is your day, instead of just saying good, you can just say.
You could say, for example, not too bad um, i'm just on my way to work thanks, how about you?
Um.
And it gives a little bit more information to them and it keeps the conversation going, Even by simply dropping that information or giving the information that you're going to work.
It gives them the option to ask you about your job, for example, or what you do for work.
And you're also asking them about their day, and because you shared some more information, they may be more likely to say a little bit more about themselves too.
The second point I would say is to make sure that you react naturally.
So when someone shares something, respond with expressions that show your emotions or how you actually feel about that.
For example, oh really?
Or, that's interesting.
Or, whoa, I didn't know that.
These little reactions make the conversation much more natural and feel alive and engaging.
And third and finally on this section, I would say don't be afraid of natural pauses.
I've seen it before where often there's of course some learners have problems with forgetting words, maybe freezing in conversations and pausing.
But I've also seen a lot and very common, where where many learners of English feel the pressure to fill every silence.
So to talk and talk and talk and sometimes talk very fast.
But in real conversations, pauses are normal.
So, instead of just rushing to fill the gap, make sure to smile, nod and let the conversation flow naturally.
Don't stress out, just relax and let the conversation move its course naturally.
But what happens if small talk goes wrong?
What happens if you don't know what to say next and the conversation dies?
Don't panic.
This happens to everyone.
If the conversation dies, if it stops, if you don't know what to say next, try just changing the subject with phrases like the following
By the way, I heard you got back from vacation.
How was it?
Or, oh, that reminds me.
Do you watch football?
Any of these things where you can redirect to a topic that you're comfortable with or that you know what to talk about.
Don't worry about trying to keep a certain topic going.
Just move it to an area where you feel comfortable to talk about.
And if you really don't know what to say, you can always just end the conversation politely.
Just say something like, well, it's been great chatting with you.
I'd better get going, but have a great day.
And this just makes it less awkward for everyone.
So really, small talk might seem tricky at first.
It might seem difficult.
But the key is just keep it simple, friendly and natural.
Don't stress about awkward moments or pauses and really just stick to easy topics.
Use your casual responses, give little bits of information that allow the conversation to continue, and make sure to ask questions as well.
The more you practice, the easier this gets.
And remember, small talk isn't just about talking to fill the silence.
It's about connecting with people.
And even if it's just a little short, friendly chat, it can help you begin to build that relationship, to feel more confident and, of course, to sound a little bit more natural, like a native speaker.
So that's it for today.
As always, check out the Patreon if you want bonus episodes and series like Easy News or News in Easy English and some bonus episodes.
And if you want to support me and you can go to the website easyenglishpodcastcom to sign up for a free English newsletter, which is starting soon, and read blog posts there related to each episode, which helps practice your reading.
So thank you for watching or listening and I hope you have an amazing rest of your day.
Goodbye.
