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Small Talk Techniques
An important part of making small talk is to encourage someone to speak and to show
interest in what they are saying. The following techniques will help you accomplish this.

Echo Questions

To make echo questions, repeat the verb to be, auxiliary verb, or use ‘do’ in the correct
tense if there is no auxiliary.

Examples:

A: I can speak three languages. B: Can you?

A: They went to Japan last week. B: Did they?

1. Reply to the statements using echo questions.

I like pop music. ___________?

She works as an accountant. ___________?

I went to Egypt last year. ___________?

It's a really nice place to visit. ___________?

Echo Words

Repetition of key words back to the speaker helps to show interest in what the speaker is
saying.

A: I have just brought a new sports car. It cost $100,000. B: $100,000

A: I travelled around south-east Asia for six months. B: Six months

2. Reply to the statements with echo words.

I'm going to Italy next week. ___________

It took me two hours to get here. ___________

Harry is looking for a new job. ___________

I saw Sophia yesterday. ___________

Showing Attention and Agreement

When you are in a conversation, it's a good idea to show agreement and sound curious
about what the speaker is saying.

Useful Expressions: Really? Yeah. Uhuh. Yes. Right. Sure. Mhm. How interesting. Wow.

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Small Talk Techniques
Wh- Questions

To keep a conversation going and to help show interest, ask follow-up questions. Remember
to use the other techniques along with asking Wh- questions otherwise it may sound like you
are ‘grilling’ the other person.

Example:

I went to the hospital yesterday.

Follow-up questions - Why was that, then?

Which hospital did you go to?

What did the doctor say?

3. Write five follow-up questions for the following statement.

I went to the cinema yesterday.

1. _______________________________________________________________________

2. _______________________________________________________________________

3. _______________________________________________________________________

4. _______________________________________________________________________

5. _______________________________________________________________________

4. Read these mini-dialogues

A: He teaches English. B: English. Really? Where does he teach?

A: I'm thinking about moving house. B: Are you? Where do you want to move to?

A: She worked there for 10 years. B: Did she? How interesting. Why did she leave?

A: I've bought a new computer. B: A new computer. Have you? Which brand did
you buy?

5. Write examples of the techniques used by Student B to make small talk.

Echo questions:

Echo words: English.

Showing Attention and Agreement: Really?

Wh- questions: Where does he teach?

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Small Talk Techniques
6. Work with a partner. Read the conversation. Identify the techniques for making
small talk.

A: What do you do?

B: I'm a student.

A: Really? Where do you study?

B: At the local university.

A: That’s interesting. Do you like studying there?

B: Yes, I just started last week.

A: Last week. Not long then. What are you studying?

B: I'm studying business administration.

A: Are you? I studied that too. What do you want to do when you graduate?

B: I'm not sure yet. I might start my own business.

A: Right. That's a good idea. What kind of business?

B: I want to open my own coffee shop.

7. In pairs, take it in turns to start a conversation by asking a question to your partner.

Keep each conversation going for at least two minutes by asking five follow-up
questions for each topic. Don't forget to use echo questions, echo words, show
attention and agreement.

1. Where do you live?

2. What are you going to do at the weekend?

3. Do you like going to the cinema?

4. Have you ever been abroad?

5. How long have you studied English?

6. Where do you come from?

7. How did you get here?

8. Where did you go on your last holiday?

9. What's your favourite food?

10. What do you do when you’re not working / studying?

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Small Talk Techniques
In this engaging lesson, students learn techniques for making small talk and how to keep a
conversation going.

Before class, make one copy of the worksheets for each student.

Procedure

Write ‘Small Talk Techniques’ on the board and elicit different ways that someone can keep
a conversation going, e.g. asking questions, showing interest, showing attention.

Give each student a copy of the worksheets and ask them to look at echo questions.

Go over the rules for echo questions and point out that echo questions are not question tags.
There is no positive to negative rule. Then, let the students complete Exercise 1.

Answer key
1. Do you?
2. Does she?
3. Did you?
4. Is it?

Next, read about echo words with the class and then have the students complete Exercise 2.

Answer key
1. Italy. Next week.
2. Two hours.
3. Harry. A new job.
4. Sophia. Yesterday.

Read the expressions for showing attention and agreement and then brainstorm other
phrases or words that the students could add to the useful expressions.

Move on to asking Wh- questions and give time for the students to complete Exercise 3.
Then, go through the students' answers.

Next, divide the students into pairs and ask them to read the mini-dialogues. Students then
complete Exercise 5.

Answer key
Echo questions: Are you? Did she? Have you?
Echo words: English. A new computer.
Showing Attention and Agreement: Really? How interesting.
Wh- questions: Where does he teach? Where do you want to move to? Why did she leave?
Which brand did you buy?

Then, ask the pairs to read the conversation in Exercise 6 and identify the small talk
techniques. Go over the answers with the class.

Finally, explain that the students are going to practice keeping a conversation going.
Students then take it in turns to start and keep a conversation going.

When they have finished all ten small talk conversations, have a class feedback session.
Ask the students to report to the class any interesting information they discovered about
each other.
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