The New Corner Office: Small talk makes a big impact

Small talk is a skill, and you can improve

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Episode Transcript

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Good morning, this is Laura. Welcome to the New Corner Office.

(01:26):
The podcast where we share strategies for thriving in the
new world of worth, where location and hours are more
flexible than in the past. Today's tip is to recognize
the value of small talk, because small talk makes a
big impact. If you're a task oriented person like me,
you may be inclined to minimize chit chat while you're working.

(01:50):
You want to be productive and get your job done.
Productivity is definitely a good thing, but as I've often said,
people are a good use of time. Don't underestimate the
value of seemingly unproductive interactions at work. Relationships with people
in and beyond our organizations are vital to our professional success,

(02:13):
and small talk smooth the way for deeper connection. Being
good at small talk means being ready to talk about
something besides the coronavirus, working from home, or the weather.
Please no more with the weather. You want to aim
for topics that, while light, are interesting and can help

(02:34):
you and your conversation partner find common ground. For starters,
stay on top of pop culture and sports, at least
to the extent that you can be an engaged listener.
No name that's on the cover of People magazine should
be entirely unfamiliar as for sports. Yes, it's hard to
follow much right now, but in the future you should

(02:56):
know whether the college and proteins in your area are
having a good, it or disappointing season. It helps to
scan the sports headlines of your local paper and look
at the covers of magazines. Maybe while you're waiting in
line at the grocery store, when someone brings up a
pop culture topic that you're unfamiliar with, see it as
a chance to learn. No, I haven't watched Tiger King,

(03:18):
but I keep hearing about it. What do you think
makes it so compelling? Or it sounds like you're an
Eagles fan? When did you first start following them? Questions
like these keep the conversation flowing and the relationship growing,
and who knows, you might get some ideas about ways
you'd like to spend some of your free time in
the process. Also, be ready to share what you're interested

(03:41):
in outside of work. This means that, yep, you need
some interest outside of work. It doesn't have to be
training for a marathon, though it could be. You can
also talk about a project in your yard, your sour
dough starter, the book you just read for a book club,
whatever ideally you have a few things, So if one
line of conversation doesn't pan out, you've got another to

(04:04):
try with the person who asked so nicely, what's keeping
you busy? It can also be helpful to collect good news.
Maybe it's the valedictorian in your city who used to
be homeless and is now headed to Stanford, or your
son learning to ride his bike last weekend. Maybe it's
the new restaurant in your neighborhood that opened during the
pandemic and yet still has a line around the block

(04:25):
for takeout orders every evening. Prepare yourself to share stories
that will lift people's spirits. You might start taking notes
of these while perusing headlines. Small talk helps us connect
with each other and enjoy our common life together. And yes,
it can be tedious. I get that it's not natural
for me either. But like most things, small talk is

(04:48):
a skill you can consciously work to get better at it,
and when you do, you will find that small talk
is magically much less tedious. Imagine that what are your
go to topics for small talk? You can let me
know at Laura at Laura Vanderkam dot com. In the meantime,

(05:10):
this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's the succeeding
in the New Corner Office. The New Corner Office is
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