complimentary), income, and age as well as religious, or political views. Each of these topics – both approved and taboo---will be discussed in more detail later.
Small talk is extremely useful when first meeting others. Actually, one purpose of small talk is not to find out the answers to questions like ― How are you?‖ or ―Nice day, isn’t it?‖ but rather to learn whether the person is the sort whom one would like to know better. While talking about essentially unimportant matters such as the weather, life in the office, or how many children – if any- one has, each speaker has the opportunity to determine whether
the other is cooperative, interesting, potentially useful or friendly, etc. If a person answers the inquiry about the weather with a grunt or ―I hate sunny days‖, no further energy need be wasted.
Another purpose of small talk, once a speaker is satisfied that the other person is worth talking with, is to explore possible areas of interest or cooperation. By carefully going through ―safe topics,‖ some information may be revealed which leads the speaker(s) into a deeper discussion, especially when a topic is a shared hobby or interest. Talking about the weather may reveal that one speaker enjoys
recreation like camping or hiking. Shooting the breeze about one’s family may disclose similar shared family hobbies like card games and picnics.
―everybody complains about the weather, but nobody ever does anything about it,‖ so goes an old saying. Perhaps the safest of all small talk topics is the weather. Commenting on the crowded traffic or the late bus, or high prices in the department store is also always appropriate. Similarly, most people do not mind talking about their work, family, or school life, either, since for most people these are experiences held in common. Even
so, asking whether someone is married or not should be avoided. If the speaker happens to mention that he or she has children or is married, however, it is all right to pursue the topic.
It is not a good idea to wear out one’s welcome. When a subject has been turned down, only a tactless person would pursue it. Being sensitive to others’ feelings and sense of privacy will win more friends and influence more people than a reckless line of questioning. When curiosity seems to be getting the upper hand, remember that ―silence is golden.‖
1. it is essential to know __ you can talk about with different people. c. what
2. a computer talent ___ a person who is extremely good at computer science. c. refers to
3. there is only five minutes left. Have you found out the answers ___ all of the questions? b. to
4. what an interesting party it is! It is worth___. b. remembering
5. we began to trust each other after we ___ a very difficult time together.
d. went through