How to Turn Small ____ Into Smart
Conversation

• by Ronald Chen
• Feb, 27 2017 at 5:47 pm

Imagine almost any situation _____ two or more people ___ gathered—a wedding reception or _ job interview. What do _____ situations have in common? ______ all of them involve ______ trying to talk with ____ other. But in these ____ moments where a conversation _____ enhance an encounter, we _____ fall short.

When small talk stalls ___, it’s often due to _ phenomenon we call “mirroring.” __ our attempts to be ______, we often answer people’s _________ directly, repeat their observations, __ just blandly agree with ________ they say. Such an ________ can kill your conversation __ the beginning. When you “_____ the mirror”, you give ____ interlocutor a chance to ____ forward in your small ____.

People also tend to __ a passable job at _______. We stagger through our ________, professional and social worlds ____ the goal merely of ___ crashing, never considering that __ might soar. We go ____ sweaty and puffy without _________ that small talks are ____ to opening greater conversations. __ this post, we would ____ to show you how ___ can change this. For _______, you can ask open-ended _________. Aim for questions that ______ people to tell stories, ______ than give bland, one-word _______.