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That reminds me
of the time…
So, tell me
about yourself?
SMALL TALK
What do you say when…
Anything more?
“Everyone is human and its our
nature to talk”.
Even you don’t realise it, you use small talk everyday
to interact with people.
Scott McArthur,
executive
consultant at
Atos Consulting,
says that first
impressions are
made within 0.4
of a second, with
people making
snap judgments
on the way you
dress, use body
language and
shake hands.
Why is it important?
At work, people tend to overlook the importance
of small talk as they're too busy trying to look
efficient and impress the boss. If you're seen to
be making small talk, you may think your peers
are judging you for wasting time and not focusing
on your workload.
Overcoming Shyness
Small talk helps to achieve this by
encouraging people to talk in an informal
way and, through this, resolve an issue,
negotiate effectively or find solutions.
Striking up a conversation and engaging with your peers
opens up dialogue. Small talk could lead into talking about
the similar challenges you face, sharing ideas, or even giving
or receiving advice to help solve a problem.
Hooks and cues
Use small talk as a tool to move into more
serious topics.
Raise your profile
By engaging in small talk, not only will you help to raise your
profile, but you may also gain recognition from the directors if they
overhear something of interest and are drawn into the conversation.
Do the five (5) things:
1. Don't talk about yourself, focus on others;
2. Encourage colleagues to engage in small talk;
3. Use small talk to open up lines of communication at
conferences or other working environments ;
4. Stick to small talk - don't use it to gossip; and
5. Use hooks and cues to drill down to key issues
In the 1980s, many companies used to allow
employees to take coffee breaks, giving staff
a chance to socialise.
Small Talk: a waiter/waitress can engage in with their customer to make
them feel more welcome
I am a timid person around new people and I am currently doing work experience at
a restaurant. I am usually very polite and smiling at the customers but don't say
much apart from hello, thank you and you're welcome. What are some good topics
for small talk I can engage the customers in to make them feel more welcome?
Small Talk vs Gossip
IMPLICATIONS OF
SMALL TALK
DEVELOPING CLASSROOM
SPEAKING ACTIVITIES
From Theory to Practice
In speaking and listening we
tend to be getting something
done, exploring ideas, working
out some aspect of the world , or
simply being together. In writing
we may be creating a record,
committing events or moments
to paper.
Features of Spoken Discourse
(Louma, 2004)
• Composed of idea units (conjoined short phrases
and clauses)
• May be planned or unplanned
• Employs more vague or generic words than
written language
• Employs fixed phrases, fillers and hesitation
markers
• Contains slips and errors reflecting on-line
processing
• Involved reciprocity
• Shows variation, reflecting speaker roles,
speaking purpose , and the context
Functions of Speaking (Brown
and Yule’s Framework)
Talk as interaction
Talk as transaction
Talk as performance
Talk as Interaction
Main features of talk as interaction