韋恩食記

Small talk is the worst. Trying to find common ground with someone you’ve never met before is doomed to be awkward. But, like it or not, your future holds many conversations with strangers that must start somewhere, usually with small talk. There are networking events to suffer through, friends of friends to meet and job interviews to hopefully not bomb. Here’s how to do small talk right. 閒聊最令人頭痛了。想要和素未謀面的人找出共同點，注定會相當尷尬彆扭。不過，不論你喜不喜歡，你的未來畢竟充滿了許多和陌生人的談話，而那些談話都必須有個起點，通常就是閒聊。像是那些難耐的建立人脈活動、結識朋友的朋友，還有希望不會搞砸的求職面試。以下提供好好閒聊的訣竅。

There’s one ice-breaker question that’ll work every single time. It comes from Terry Gross, who is a legendary interviewer. As the host of National Public Radio’s Fresh Air, Gross has conducted thousands of interviews over the course of 40 years with everyone from political figures to pop culture icons.

She tells the New York Times this is the only icebreaker you need: “Tell me about yourself.”

This is much more effective than the dreaded, “So what do you do?” because you don’t make any assumptions about the other person. Gross said these four words “allow you to start a conversation without the fear that you’re going to inadvertently make someone uncomfortable or self-conscious.”

After you get past the initial breaking of ice, your next move is equally as important. You have to really listen to how the other person responds and care what they have to say. Don’t instantly zone out. Tune in to what they’re excited about. Build upon it. Ask them more questions about that thing.

Gross says having a good conversation comes down to curiosity. You need to want to hear what the other person has to say. Bringing enthusiasm and energy to the conversation will go a long way.

Also, pay attention to body language. If you’re paying attention, you can tell if someone’s interest is waning. Body language like eyes wandering, crossed arms or turning away from you signals boredom.

Not every conversation will be a slam dunk. But there’s only one way to find out. It starts with, “So Bob, tell me about yourself.”