How to Make Small Talk: How to Talk to People Podcast, Episode 1

Making small talk can be hard-especially when you’re not sure whether you’re doing it well. But conversations are a central part of relationship-building.
In this first episode of "How to Talk to People," we explore the psychological barriers to making good small talk and unravel the complexities of the mutual discomfort that comes with talking to people we don’t know well.
The social scientist Ty Tashiro and the hairstylists Erin Derosa and Mimi Craft help us understand what it means to integrate awkwardness into our pursuit of relationships.
This episode is hosted by Julie Beck, produced by Rebecca Rashid, and edited by Jocelyn Frank and Claudine Ebeid. Fact-check by Ena Alvarado. Engineering by Rob Smierciak.
Music by Tellsonic (“The Whistle Funk”), Ryan James Carr (“Botanist Boogie Breakdown”), and Arthur Benson (“Organized Chaos,” “She Is Whimsical”).
Talk to "How to Talk to People"-by “talk,” we mean write to us-at [e-mail]. To support this podcast, and get unlimited access to all of The Atlantic’s journalism, become a subscriber.
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🎨: The Atlantic

[@lawrence-yx1ew]

Honestly if anyone struggles with this, the best channel is charisma on command. There's a lot of things that can be easily worked into the way you ask questions and respond to questions that make small talk easier and allow of conversations to flow more naturally. Small talk and conversations is a skill that many of us never developed as kids but it can be learned later in life. I went from dreading small talk to not really minding it because I know I can hold my own now.

[@YAGEHEaleung]

thanks for the recommendation, mate

[@Drmonstereater1]

How’s the weather?

[@poohoff]

How to like talk to like people? I don't like know, but I'm gonna like talk about it like anyway

[@imdefinitelynotyu7978]

lol they don't actually say like that much -- they're great reporters who take time to articulately choose their words -- you just hate women 😅also, people who have trouble with social anxiety and are trying to overcome it are the perfect people to discuss that topic.

[@poohoff]

@@imdefinitelynotyu7978 first of all, there's nothing articulate about them, second of all, you definitely need a whole course on communication, and thirdly, no, people who are bad at social skills aren't the ones to discuss it, it's like people who can't drive discussing cars

[@flawlessstrategy9972]

Worse is vocal fry, was glad I didn't hear any, then the second girl started talking... And first one has upward inflection. The end of every sentence is a question... "you just hate women." lmao This is women's way to try to make themselves immune to criticism. Sorry if you hate criticism so much, but... 'Cause I already know, if I don't like vocal fry, then I am a misogynist. Prevent criticism so we can continue talking like a choking frog, valley girl, or baby talk.

[@BhartiyaLadaaka]

​@@poohoffI am bad at conversation , do you have any idea on where I can learn some basics?

[@dreadsocialistroberts]

Wow someone else who doesn't know what extrovert vs introvertism is. She's not good at it.