Small talk

I was never good with small talk, especially with people who are hard to talk to. With the suggestion of a friend, I started a habit of chatting with Uber drivers. The small space of a car somehow creates a friendly environment that facilitates conversations. Many people opted in as an Uber driver as a part time job. Their full time job ranges from science researchers, singers, business owners, even lawyers. They impress me with what they have to share to the conversation, once I get the conversation going, that is. 

There are a few tips I want to share about small talk, 

1. Curiosity - This should be a no-brainer. If you are not curious about the people you are talking to, it will be hard to generate an interesting conversation. Curiosity stems from the desire to know about fields you are not familiar with, or know nothing about. This can also give the person you are talking to a hint that you are interested in getting to know about them.

2. Open-mindedness - No one wants to talk to someone who is judgmental, and always there to make conclusions about themselves. Small talk happen because you don't know a lot about the other person, backgrounds, and experiences, so why should you jump to conclusions about that person. Open-mindedness involves accepting that there are other people who have different opinions and ideas about things in this world. Agree to disagree is a good place to be if you are talking to someone with different opinions as you.

3. Hobbies and interests - The good thing about hobbies or interests is that people cannot stop talking about their hobbies and interests. If you happen to share a similar hobby with someone, you share a similarity with that person. Similarity makes people more likable.

4. Be willing to end the conversation - The purpose of small talk is to casually converse to kill time, prevent awkward silences, or to cultivate a friendly, easier atmosphere. However, sometimes people might not be in the mood to talk for many reasons. If you encounter a person whose answers are short with no follow ups, who shows no interests in getting to know about you, then it would be completely fine to drop the conversation. A conversation involves the participation of both parties.