Small Talk

What is the conversation about when business associates greet each other at the airport, meet during a break at a conference, or go out for dinner after a long meeting? Some of the discussions at these times will be about business. Yet it is probably more likely that a lot of the issues are not related to work at all. Rather, a general style of chit-chat will develop and this is known as "small talk."

Small talk can be considered an important part of business because it gets your mind off work. It is also a way to find common ground between different business associates. This will lead to the establishment of deeper and more personal ties to maintain business in the future. Although it is important to participate in small talk, it is also necessary to know what can be talked about and what is off-limits. For example, asking someone about the local food, national culture and recent weather is considered an acceptable way to break the ice with a business counterpart. Hopefully a casual discussion will continue and eventually help develop mutual understanding which can then create a trustworthy business relationship. However, people must also be aware of sensitive issues that are hot potatoes and should not be discussed in this environment. For instance, any conversation focused on politics, religion or personal questions should not come up. This is because others could become angry. Not only would the situation become awkward, but the business relationship could be hurt by such topics. awkward = uncomfortable break = short temporary stop break the ice = begin a conversation when meeting someone the first time business associates = people who have business relationships together chit-chat = casual and informal talk come up = become part of the discussion common ground = a similar position agreeable for all people counterpart = individual with the same position or function in another company gets your mind off = let yourself forget about it temporarily hot potatoes = topics that are controversial or that could cause problems mutual = each person having the same feeling as the other off-limits = not to be talked about ties = relationships trustworthy = that you can rely on to be good, honest, sincere, etc.