1. What is small talk?

Transcript item

Joe: Small talk in my opinion is when you first meet a person and you're not sure what to talk about, so you basically ask questions to get to know them more, and just essentially the normal questions like where you're from, have you got any siblings, stuff like that, just to get someone ,like, … This could happen at work or a bar and, yeah. Politics, that's a main topic that I think you shouldn't bring up straight away to a person, might shock them. I think, also, what their beliefs are as well, and generally just topics that are sensible and maybe best not to talk about straight away.

Elena: Small talk is a kind of conversation that you have with strangers while you're waiting for a bus or also you're in line at the doctor's office. A very popular topic here in Italy is the weather, but also complaints about public transport delays. I think that an inappropriate topic is criticism about physical appearance or also political issues.

Stephen: I think small talk is the type of conversation you make with somebody when you want to appear friendly, but you don't have anything specific, you know, you need to share with them. So you just talk about day-to-day things. Where I live in Vietnam, it's quite common to actually start small talk by asking about food or health. For example, you could say, Anzun is a form of 'hi', which you're asking somebody if they've eaten yet. And that's how they say hello. In my culture in the US, I would say something that definitely should be avoided when it comes to small talk would be politics, because people get pretty passionate about it, and you never know what side of the fence someone's on.

Tina: I guess small talk depends on who you're actually talking to. So if you know the people and you're just sort of catching up, very often we talk about oh God it's got to be the weather, always the weather! When I lived in Italy, whenever you saw someone you hadn't seen for a while, you talked about the weather. You talked about the orto, which is like your vegetable plot, and how it was getting on, because I lived out in the countryside. And then politics, which for me is a big no-no. So, for small talk, good topics: definitely weather, maybe what you did for the weekend or something. Politics, stay away from. Wages, stay away from. Anything to do with money, I reckon!

Joanne:  For me, small talk are those little conversations that we have with people where what we say isn't really the important thing. It's more about making a connection, maybe making people feel comfortable or leading into a more serious discussion topic. I'm from the UK and I think people small talk quite a lot there. Usually it's about the weather, but there could be other topics, too. For example celebrity gossip or maybe sports events. Some subjects which I think are probably inappropriate for small talk are serious things such as politics or maybe topics which are rather personal, talking about people's relationships or something like that.
 

Small talk is light, informal conversation that we make in all sorts of social situations. It's not about discussing deep or complex topics – it's more about being friendly or making connections with other people. Common small talk topics include the weather, hobbies, daily activities or shared experiences like travel or food. Small talk is usually casual and positive, so certain topics should probably be avoided!

In this video, you can hear some people from different places giving their definition of small talk, and find out which topics are popular and which are not appropriate for small talk in their cultures.

We want to hear from you!
  • In your opinion, what is small talk?
  • What are popular small talk topics where you live?
  • Which topics are not appropriate for small talk in your culture?

If you want to practise speaking, you can record your response using SpeakPipe voice recorder and post a link to the recording in your comment.
 

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Average: 4.9 (12 votes)

Submitted by Jaime Castellanos on Wed, 27/11/2024 - 22:21

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Hey everyone. For me small talk is a short conversation with someone where we are trying to break the ice, talking about chill topics such as weather, hobbies, sports, or something without much importance. Here in Colombia a common small talk is about soccer or maybe food.

Submitted by AK. on Mon, 25/11/2024 - 17:16

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Alexandre from DRCongo, Small talk for me is about sharing spontanasly on some subjects without any specfic purpose . sometimes, the persons who are talking do not know each other. In DRCongo, we mostly find small talk when using common transport and the subjects are various ( from politics to economy or society). Some subjecs can come from the drivers but sometimes small talk can lead to friendship.

Hi marysun,

Thanks for sharing your voice messge with us. I hope you've found this topic useful.

Best wishes,

Jo (LearnEnglish team)

Submitted by MASABAE on Mon, 11/11/2024 - 07:40

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Hi! am Emma from Uganda. A small talk is when you meet someone new and you start a conversation looking out for common interests. Some of the common topics are hobbies, current affairs, food. One of the inappropriate topics is politics.

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Submitted by Worm on Sat, 09/11/2024 - 19:00

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In my opinion, the small talk is a really outdated thing. If I want to make friend with someone, I will just start to ask about this man. As opposite, if there are not any theme or reasons for conversation, it will be better to keep silent.

In Russia, the small talk is really small. Usually, it looks like someone ask you "How are you doing?" and you have to answer "OK". In the most case it can be strange, if you answer something other. 

Hi Roslana,

Thanks for sharing your voice message! I really enjoyed listening to it. I think you sum up perfectly what small talk is. 

I liked your example about you and your neighbour. Although you're not friends, you are both dog owners, so that's something you have in common, and you can share little stories about your dogs. That sounds like a great way to be friendly and have a neighbourly relationship.

Best wishes,

Jo (LearnEnglish team)

Hi ganralhabls,
Thanks for recording your message and sharing it with us.
I was happy to hear about the small talk topics you mention: your day, your work, family, children ... I agree, they're all good topics to use when you want to connect with people and show interest in them :-)

Best wishes,

Jo (LearnEnglish team) 

Hi Esticohen,

Thank you for your voice message. I think you're right - small talk is all about connecting with people, and it's often used to pass the time when waiting somewhere with someone!

Best wishes,

Jo (LearnEnglish team)

Hi Amr,

Thanks for your voice message. It was interesting to hear about popular small talk topics in Egypt. Many of them sound quite similar to the UK, such as changing seasons and weather, and seasonal illnesses like colds. 

Best wishes,

Jo (LearnEnglish team)

Submitted by VNatasha on Sat, 02/11/2024 - 16:16

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Hi everyone! 

Small talk in my mind is when people meet each other for the first time and they should talk about some good topics. They often discuss general themes such as the weather, favorite food and positive things about the country they are in. In my opinion that an inappropriate themes are political or religion issues. 

Hi arianny,

I was really fascinated by the popular topics and inappropriate topics in the Dominican Republic. 

Good topics for small talk: Suggestions and recomendations of natural treatments for health problems.

Bad topics for small talk: Joking about which team lost last night's baseball game.

Thank you so much for sharing!

Best wishes,

Jo (LearnEnglish team)

 

Submitted by Yahya29 on Fri, 01/11/2024 - 19:39

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Hello everyone, Let’s talk about small talk, that delightful chatter we engage in with strangers while waiting for something way more exciting, like a bus or a doctor who’s perpetually running late. You know, those awkward moments when you find yourself discussing the weather or the latest gossip about the bus schedule? Honestly, sometimes these conversations remind me why I should probably just zip it forever. I mean, I’m so shy that chatting with strangers feels like attempting a high-wire act without a safety net! Talking about my feelings or concerns with someone I just met? Forget it! I might as well be trying to juggle flaming swords. “Isn’t this morning just stunning?” “Are you from another planet? Because I don’t think I’ve seen you before!” But let’s be real—who even has time for small talk these days? Everyone’s glued to their smartphones like they’re about to unlock the secrets of the universe. People are rushing around like they’re in a marathon, and no one seems scared of striking up a conversation, even if it’s just about how fast the bus is or why the coffee at the clinic tastes like cardboard.

Hi Yahya29,

Thank you for sharing your comment. I love your humourous writing style :-)

Best wishes,

Jo (LearnEnglish team)

Hi Emma,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts about small talk! I was very interested to hear that you don't really do small talk in Mandarin, but it's something you just do with English speakers. 
I hope you enjoyed participating in the Learning hub :-)

Best wishes,

Jo (LearnEnglish team)

 

Hi Stef45,

Thanks for sharing your recording! I especially liked what you said at the end. The aim of small talk is ... not to dive into deep or complex subjects but to create pleasant or comfortable interaction. I think that sums it up really well!

Best wishes,

Jo (LearnEnglish team)

 

Hi Ayaz!
Thanks for sharing your voice message with us - I enjoyed listening to it. Your two points are very clear:

  1. Talking about everyday topics such as daily routines and hobbies can be used as ice-breaker activities when we are learning or practising a new language
  2. Small talk helps us strengthen our relationships with other people.

Do you enjoy making small talk in both of these situations?

Best wishes,

Jo (LearnEnglish team)

Hi David from Brasil! It was lovely to listen to your comment and learn what you talk about ... and that one of the small talk topics is football. I am an avid Arsenal fan and when I was younger I used to love going to their games. ~ Tina ツ LearnEnglish team