Small talk is the brief, social conversations that happen at various points during the typical working day when people get together at work. It is not gossip, a complaint or even a rant. This chitchat is more meaningful than you might think. According to a study, it can contribute to employees’ positive emotions, promote well-being and foster good workplace communication. Is it necessary to help your team improve their small talk? Absolutely!

Filling the Void and Connecting

At work, small talk serves the purpose of filling a void. It is a time to engage in conversation with your co-workers. It is a time to connect with someone to check in with no agenda, no motive, only the best of intentions. Relationships will form as you fill the awkward silence with meaningful conversation. Although the small talk might not be significant, the culmination of small talk at work leads to essential relationships. Over time, small talk adds up to something. The more you interact with someone, the closer you feel to them. Your conversations are more personal and you feel connected.

Help Your Team Improve Their Small Talk

Small talk creates bonds. Chatting with colleagues, employees, and clients can help to build relationships. It builds and strengthens your social connections. Here are tips for improving small talk with your employees:

• Set Aside Time for Chitchat. A helpful benefit of small talk is that it helps to ease transitions. Consider setting aside 15 minutes before a meeting for employees to chat informally. It is optional but can be a mental transition to get things going smoothly before the formal meeting starts. As a manager, the chats can help you set a positive tone for future relationships and build rapport.
• Check-In Daily. Daily check-ins via Slack or other platforms can help you replicate small talk in a virtual environment. A simple check-in can go a long way with employees.
• Change Your Medium. Zoom has adverse psychological effects such as anxiety, social isolation and emotional exhaustion. Consider how a medium might affect particular conversations. Consider other options, such as phone calls, if it makes more sense.
• Avoid sudden changes. Improving the conversational culture at work takes time. To be effective, you need to practice it consistently. Many topics are hard to navigate for management, so start with small conversations to prepare you for hard ones. Your employees must be comfortable having conversations in general.

Small Talk Conversation Starters

Small talk is brief and light. However, it can evolve into deeper discussions over time. Do you need ideas to get some good conversation going in your workplace? Try these proven topics:

• Weather
• Current events
• Food
• Hobbies
• Family
• Work
• Media

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