Why small talks are crucial
Parent Post
In the pandemic world,
In the pandemic world, casual conversation has been all but eliminated.
Small talk functions as a crucial social ritual.
It’s a way to grease the wheels.
Studies found that on days employees had more small talk with coworkers or supervisors, their mood improved, they had more energy, and there was a decrease in burnout.
Initiating small talk is
Initiating small talk is a prosocial act—something done for the good of all involved.
People enjoy it more than they predict: they feel more anchored, trusting, and even more optimistic after having interactions with strangers.
The opportunities are fewer, and we might not be taking them when they do present themselves.
Small talk is defined
Small talk is defined as a lighthearted, superficial, polite, scripted conversation. It’s “scripted” in the sense that it’s predictable.
Everyone knows the appropriate default phrases, so participants are rarely caught off guard.
So how do you
So how do you facilitate serendipitous conversation when many of us are working from home?
If you can’t duplicate spontaneous encounters, like standing around a water cooler or bumping into an acquaintance on the street, create an intentional one.
Set up virtual lounges that allow users to pop in and say hi or even reach out to a loose acquaintance or colleague.
During the pandemic, our
During the pandemic, our personal and professional circles have decreased by 16%. For men, it’s even worse—as much as 30%
One study found that when people engaged more with a barista—smiling, making eye contact, conversing—they felt a greater sense of community belonging. In a normal pre-pandemic day, people interacted with an average of eleven acquaintances; university students interacted with sixteen.
Small talk with strangers
Small talk with strangers online can also offer a low-stakes opportunity to be vulnerable.
One study suggests that people prefer to disclose embarrassing and personal details to a stranger than to a close friend.
Chatting with strangers, even briefly, can be a liberating act of calibration.
Small talk is also
Small talk is also an equalizer.
Without space for off-task communication, people in “directing” roles at work spoke much more than those in “following” roles. But, once they introduced opportunities for off-task chatter, followers started to make up for that dialogue imbalance.
Today, in virtual workspaces devoid of small talk, we’re literally just letting conversation imbalances go.
Small talks should be
Small talks should be spontaneous and nonpurposeful, and it’s that spontaneity that is so difficult to replicate virtually.
When we schedule time for chit-chat, we turn it into yet another item on the to-do list, thereby defeating the purpose.