Small talk

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Small talk is an informal type of discourse that does not cover any functional topics
of conversation or any transactions that need to be addressed.[1] In a nutshell, it is a polite
conversation about unimportant things.[2]
The phenomenon of small talk was initially studied in 1923[3] by Bronisław Malinowski in his essay
"The Problem of Meaning in Primitive Languages",[4] who coined the term "phatic communication"
to describe it.[5] The ability to conduct small talk is a social skill; hence, small talk is some type
of social communication.

Contents

 1Purpose
 2Topics
 3Conversational patterns
 4Gender differences
 5Cultural differences
 6See also
 7References
 8External links

Purpose[edit]
In spite of seeming to have little useful purpose, small talk is a bonding ritual and a strategy for
managing interpersonal distance.[6] It serves many functions in helping to define the relationships
between friends, colleagues, and new acquaintances. In particular, it helps new acquaintances to
explore and categorize each other's social position.[7]
Small talk is closely related to the need for people to maintain a positive face and feel approved
of by those who are listening to them. It lubricates social interactions in a very flexible way, but
the desired function is often dependent on the point in the conversation at which the small talk
occurs:[8]

1. Conversation opener: when the speakers do not know each other, it allows them to show
that they have friendly intentions and desire some sort of positive interaction. In a
business meeting, it enables people to establish each other's reputation and level of
expertise. If there is already a relationship between the two talkers, their small talk
serves as a gentle introduction before engaging in more functional topics of
conversation. It allows them to signal their own mood and to sense the mood of the other
person.
2. At the end of a conversation: suddenly ending an exchange may risk appearing
to reject the other person. Small talk can be used to mitigate that rejection, affirm the
relationship between the two people, and soften the parting.
3. Space filler to avoid silence: in many cultures, silences between two people are usually
considered uncomfortable and/or awkward. Tension can be reduced by
starting phatic talk until a more substantial subject arises. Generally, humans find
prolonged silence uncomfortable, and sometimes unbearable. That can be due to human
evolutionary history as a social species, as in many other social animals, silence is a
communicative sign of potential danger.[9]
In some conversations, there is no specific functional or informative element at all. The following
example of small talk is between two colleagues who pass each other in a hallway:
William: Morning, Paul.
Paul: Oh, morning, William, how are you?
William: Fine, thanks. Have a good weekend.
Paul: Yes, thanks. Catch you later.
William: OK, see you.
In that example, the elements of phatic talk at the beginning and end of the
conversation have merged. The entire short conversation is a space-filler.
This type of discourse is often called chatter.
The need to use small talk depends upon the nature of the relationship
between the people having the conversation. Couples in an intimate
relationship can signal their level of closeness by a lack of small talk. They
can comfortably accept silence in circumstances that would be
uncomfortable for two people who were only casual friends.[10]
In workplace situations, small talk tends to occur mostly between workers on
the same level, but it can be used by managers as a way of developing the
working relationships with the staff who report to them. Bosses who ask
their employees to work overtime may try to motivate them by using small
talk to temporarily decrease their difference in status.[11]
The balance between functional conversation and small talk in the
workplace depends on the context and is also influenced by the
relative power of the two speakers. It is usually the superior who defines the
conversation because they have the power to close the small talk and "get
down to business."[12]

Topics[edit]
The topics of small talk conversations are generally less important than their
social function.[13] The selected topic usually depends on any pre-
existing relationship between the two people, and the circumstances of the
conversation. In either case, someone initiating small talk will tend to choose
a topic for which they can assume a shared background knowledge, to
prevent the conversation from being too one-sided.[12]
Topics can be summarised as being either direct or indirect.[14] Direct topics
include personal observations such as health or looks. Indirect topics refer
to a situational context such as the latest news, or the conditions of the
communicative situation. Some topics are considered to be "safe" in most
circumstances,[8] such as the weather, sports, and television. Asking about
the weather, however, should be avoided unless there exists a follow-up
discussion. Otherwise, the conversation will stall, and it will be the
conversation starter's fault.[8]
The level of detail offered should not overstep the bounds of interpersonal
space. When asked "How are you?" by an acquaintance they do not know
well, a person is likely to choose a simple, generalized reply such as "I am
good, thank you." In this circumstance, it would usually not be appropriate
for them to reply with a list of symptoms of any medical conditions they were
suffering from.[12] To do so would assume a greater degree
of familiarity between the two people than is actually the case, and this may
create an uncomfortable situation.

Conversational patterns[edit]
A study of small talk in situations that involve the chance meeting of
strangers has been carried out by Klaus Schneider.[15] He theorizes that such
a conversation consists of a number of fairly predictable segments, or
"moves". The first move is usually phrased so that it is easy for the other
person to agree. It may be either a question or a statement of opinion with
a tag question. For example, an opening line such as "Lovely weather, isn't
it?" is a clear invitation for agreement. The second move is the other
person's response. In functional conversations that address a particular
topic, Grice's maxim of quantity suggests that responses should contain no
more information than was explicitly asked for.[16] Schneider claims that one
of the principles of small talk contradicts the maxim of quantity. He suggests
that politeness in small talk is maximised by responding with a more
substantial answer. Going back to the example of "Lovely weather, isn't it?",
to respond factually by just saying "Yes" (or even "No") is less polite than
saying, "Yes, very mild for the time of year". Schneider describes that
subsequent moves may involve an acknowledgement such as "I see", a
positive evaluation such as "That's nice", or what's called "idling behaviour",
such as "Mmm", or "Really?".

Gender differences[edit]
Speech patterns between women tend to be more collaborative than those
of men, and tend to support each other's involvement in the conversation.
Topics for small talk are more likely to include compliments about some
aspect of personal appearance. For example, "That dress really suits you."
Small talk between women who are friends may also involve a greater
degree of self disclosure. Topics may cover more personal aspects of their
life, their troubles, and their secrets. This self-disclosure both generates a
closer relationship between them and is also a signal of that closeness.[17]
By contrast, men's small talk tends to be more competitive. It may
feature verbal sparring matches, playful insults, and putdowns.[17] However,
in a way these are also both creators and signals of solidarity; the men are
signalling that they are comfortable enough with each other's company to be
able to say these things without them being taken as insults.

Cultural differences[edit]
While Americans, in general, can easily pursue small talk with strangers, in
some other cultures these conversations could be distinguished as a waste
of time.[citation needed]
Also, small talk rules and topics can differ widely between cultures. Weather
is a common topic in regions where the climate has great variation and can
be unpredictable. Questions about the family are usual in
some Asian and Arab countries. In cultures or contexts that are status-
oriented, such as China and Japan,[18] small talk between new
acquaintances may feature questions that enable social categorization of
each other.
Differences among members of various cultural groups in aspects of their
attitudes to small talk and ways of dealing with small talk situations are
considered to be rooted in their socioculturally ingrained perception of
interpersonal relationships [19][20][21][22] In many European cultures it is common
to discuss the weather, politics or the economy, although in some
countries personal finance issues such as salary are considered taboo.[23][24]
Finland has been cited as a country where there is little culture of small talk
and people are more comfortable with silence