5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Small Talk at Work | Business English Masterclass | Speak Like a Pro

Learn 5 easy ways to improve your small talk at work — perfect for Business English learners who want to sound natural in meetings, calls, and networking events.

Do you struggle with small talk at work? In this Business English mini masterclass (13+ minute video), I’ll teach you 5 simple, professional ways to improve your small talk so you can connect better with colleagues, clients, and managers.

5 Simple Ways to Improve Your Small Talk.

1. Ask Questions
   Now, small talk doesn’t have to be deep. It just needs to be friendly and open. So by asking
   questions, simply, oh,
   ● How was your weekend?
   ● How’s your day going so far?
   ● Did you catch the game last night?
   ● Are you enjoying this weather?
   These are really easy to remember. It’s a great way to start a conversation with anybody.
   People love to talk about themselves. So asking small little questions and let them take it from
   there. And they’ll fill you in on the answer to your question. And then they will respond with a
   question for you. And that really gets a great conversation going.
2. Topics
   Of course, you have to have those safe conversation topics. I think the rules in any culture, in
   any language are avoid politics, avoid religion, avoid anything too personal, unless you know
   the person really well.
   So you want to keep the conversation light and you want to have those safe topics. Of course,
   in business English, small talk is not about being personal. It’s about being pleasant and
   building relationships. So really safe topics include:
   Weather. It’s always the weather. It’s a cliche, but it works. It works.
   ● Are you looking forward to the summer?
   ● It looks like it’s going to snow.
   ● How about all this rain?
   ● What do you think of it?
   Another one is travel plans or holiday plans.
   ● Did you go anywhere last year?
   ● Have you been on holiday? I’d love to pick your brain about Dubai (pick one’s brain=ask
   for advice/expertise.
   ● Are you planning any holidays?

This is nice because the person will reply with what they’ve done, who they did it with, and what
they did. Or if they have not been on holiday recently, they’ll reply with what they’re doing, where
they’re going, and who they’re going with. And usually holidays are going to be with friends and
family. So then you get to learn a bit more about them on a personal level.

Food is also a great topic.
● Have you tried the new cafe near the office?
● I heard in your city, there’s a new Michelin restaurant opening up.
● Have you heard about this new type of fusion food?
● I’m just grabbing some lunch. Have you tried this new restaurant?
So even if you’re working with global teams and someone is on the other side of the world from
you, this is great. It’s a fantastic way. People do like talking about food. Most people can talk
about food for quite a while.
The next one is light entertainment.
● Talk about series
● Sports
● Music.
If there’s a big concert in town, ask them about it. A big sporting event on, ask them about it.
A popular series that you’re watching, ask them about it.

3. Prepare
   This next tip doesn’t seem very natural, but it works. Just like if you were going to give a TED
   talk or you’re going to give a presentation, you would prepare your presentation, you would
   prepare your bullet points, prepare your notes. The same thing here for business English small
   talk. Have some go-to ready phrases.
   ● I’m so glad the sun’s out today. It really makes a difference.
   ● I’m so happy the sun’s out today. It really makes a difference.
   ● Do you have sun where you are?
   ● Do you have any plans to go to the park?
   ● Or I can’t believe it’s already Thursday.
   ● This week has sure flown by.
   ● I’ve been really busy this week, how about you?
   ● I’ve been slammed this week, how about you? (slammed = very busy)
   ● Any plans this weekend?
   ● What did you get up to last weekend? (up to = do)
   ● What did you get up to over the weekend? (say this on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday)
   ● What did you get up to last weekend? (say this on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday)
   ● Any plans for the weekend? (say this on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday)
   ● What are you getting up to this weekend? (say this on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday)
4. Listen
   Of course, a good communicator is someone who listens well. But here you’re going to be
   listening for openings. Small talk is like dance. You don’t have to always lead the conversation,
   right? So listen for openings and jump in when you can. Responding to what people are saying
   shows your presence, you’re polite, and you’re ready to connect with them. So just listen and
   join in when it’s natural.

● So if someone says, ‘oh, I didn’t sleep well last night’, as they’re pouring another
cup of coffee, you can say, ‘I hope today’s not too busy for you.’
● Or they say, ‘I can’t wait for my vacation.’, you can say ‘Where are you going?
That sounds amazing.’
● They say ‘I can’t believe it’s raining again!’, then you can say ‘what are you going
to do when the weather clears up?’ ‘What are your plans when the weather gets
better?’

So wait for them to say something, and if they say something, take that and go with it.

5. Personality
   Personality is so important in every aspect of our lives, especially in business, because you
   don’t have a lot of background with many people, especially if you’re meeting with someone
   online. Here you want to practice confidence, not perfection. The truth is when you’re speaking
   with someone, native English speakers are high level advanced English speakers. They don’t
   care if your grammar is perfect.
   ● Smile
   ● Be yourself
   ● Engage
   ● Ask questions
   ● Smile (yes, it’s here twice for a reason..it’s fundamental!)
   
   Ten times out of ten, someone will choose to chat and have a conversation with someone who’s
   friendly and smiling and making an effort over someone who’s cold with perfect English.

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I hope you found all these tips useful. Happy learning!
Melissa B Duarte, Duarte Business English | Masterclasses | Books | Daily Business English
duartebusinessenglish.com