People who are good at small talk, what topics do you talk about?

Good topic! I think the most important thing is to make avoiding 'small talk' your goal. Then talk about something you enjoy talking about, and ask some questions. No humble brags, even if the ultiimate goal is business related. I personally like to talk to people about how they ended up in their careers which leads directly to family, hometown, schools, personal beliefs etc. Depending on who you are with you may want to be careful to avoid the standard "so what do you do" or "where are you from" which can really, really turn people off. Anything that truly interests you, that you have things to say about and of course is not immediately polarizing, at least until you have a lot of confidence. It's also usually more the way you talk to people than the topics that make conversations good. Always let the person complete their entire thought, then reply to the very last thing they said first. I disagree with people who say ask them such and such random thing about themselves and listen, people can sense that. You're not good at small talk if people are trying to fill blank space to keep it from being awkward. On the other hand, if you feel like you are the one being interviewed, redirect to something specific or go all in and offer something personal on the topic at hand. If you are serious about improving conversational skills or need to master it for your job, listen to some interview shows/podcasts like Fresh Air. Comedians have some very good ones too, of course the topics are different but the skills are the same. Marc Maron and Pete Holmes podcasts come to mind. I know this is basically the opposite of small talk but I guess that's the point, listening to people who are great at conversation can be really helpful. There are no safe topics if you can't pick up on cues. Beware of alcohol, it makes it easier in the short term but can often lead to missing those cues. If you're trying to work a room, make a plan in advance and always try to include others in order to avoid one-on-one convos since they cannot be exited gracefully for time. Be yourself, if you're funny, sarcastic, etc work it in. Have fun!

/r/AskWomen Thread