Kalbos pamokėlė

Hello again,

this time I would like to introduce a topic which is in fact a social skill, i.e. SMALL TALK. 

Small talk is an informal conversation about things that are not really important. It is an informal type of conversation and shows people’s social communicative skills. Small talk appears in the beginning or end of a conversation, or can be used as a space-filler to avoid silence in a conversation. Small talk made in a discussion in a foreign language shows higher language competence, so we strongly recommend you to learn some strategies of a small talk!

You can make small talk in these situations:

-          speaking with a colleague or a friend from another country;

-          a visitor from another company;

-          with people on a lift, on a bus, train, plane;

-          before or after a meeting, during a coffee break, at a conference or in a restaurant.

To make a small talk, you can simply prepare some stories in advance and use them in relevant situations. You could prepare to speak about:

-          the weather in the country you are in;

-          a book or magazine you or your colleagues are holding in their hands;

-          about an important recent event (basketball match, a festival, a party you both attended).

So next time when you meet a partner or a friend from abroad, or if you are waiting for your English class with colleagues in Lingua perfecta, be more confident and don't hesitate to make a little small talk in English :)

Nuoširdžiai Jūsų - Inga