Small talk has a bad reputation. People roll their eyes at it and see it as a dreaded necessity that they need to get out of ...

You’re standing in line at the supermarket or drugstore when a stranger speaks up. “Hello, how are you?” the stranger greets you. “Good, and you?” might be your response. Your conversation partner ...

Why do we humans make small talk? We spend a lot of time worrying about how to chit-chat amusingly or captivatingly. We complain when it seems trivial or a waste of time, and we bemoan the stress of a ...

Learning how to get better at small talk might not seem like much of a conversational superpower. Arguably everyone’s least favorite part of socializing, surface-level chitchat can be awkward, ...

Imagine that you’re attending your first international conference. You’ve signed in at the welcome table, dutifully affixed your name tag to your shirt, and stepped into the ballroom designated for ...

Think about what it's like to be at a birthday dinner where you have to interact with your friend's neighbors for the first time, or what it's like to be waiting for a Zoom to begin with coworkers you ...

The comedians — and podcast veterans — talk to The Hollywood Reporter about their new star-studded audiobook on perfecting the art of chit-chat, even with L.A. celebrities. By Seija Rankin Senior ...