Cultural Note. In every culture there are certain topics that people commonly talk about

In every culture there are certain topics that people commonly talk about. These topics may not be the same across cultures or, if they are, they may be discussed differently. In English people have conversations or small talk about a variety of subjects. When people make small talk, they talk about things like the weather, sports, their weekend, and so on. The topic may be unimportant, but small talk itself is important for the following reasons:

- Small talk helps people decide if they want to get to know each other better.

- Some people think that if a person doesn’t make small talk, then he or she is not friendly. (Friendliness is something that is important for Americans).

- Small talk helps people feel comfortable with each other, especially at the beginning of a conversation.

- Small talk can lead to conversation about more interesting, more serious, and more important topics.

A topic can begin as small talk and then turn into a more serious topic for conversation. After introduction you may think about what you have in common with the other person to decide what to say. You will even have certain things in common with strangers. At a beach party, for example, there are the physical surroundings, the hosts and guests, the food, the music, and yes, the weather. Try a simple comment or a question:

“Incredible day! ”

“Have you some avocado dip – it’s scrumptious.”

“Who’s winning in volleyball? ”

“Are you another longtime friend of Patsy’s? ”

Some common topics of small talk and conversation are:

1 Job, Work. One of the questions that people ask when they first meet is, “What do you do? ” which means, “What is your job? ” or “What line of work are you in? ” The next question may be, “Where do you work? ” or “Do you like your job? ” Be prepared to talk about what you do without going into a lot of detail.

2 School. Students are always asked these questions:

“What are you studying? ”

“What classes are you taking? ”

“What is your major? ”

“How do you like your classes (teachers)? ”

“What do you plan to do after you finish school? ”

3 Weekend and vacation activities. On Fridays, people at work and at school often ask each other about plans for the weekend (Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday).

“What are you going to do this weekend? ”

“Do you have any interesting plans for the weekend? ”

On Mondays, people often ask about the weekend:

“How was your weekend? ”

“How’d your weekend go? ”

“Did you have anything exciting over the weekend? ”

4 Family. People often ask married couples, “Do you have children? ” (not “When are you going to have children? ”). If the answer is “Yes”, then there are many questions that can be asked:

“How many children do you have? ”

“What are their names? ”

“How old are they? ”

“Are they in school? ”

People also ask questions about each other’s spouses:

“What does your husband /wife do? ”

“Where does your husband /wife work? ”

People usually like to talk about their spouses. If they don’t want to, they will probably give short answers to questions about them.

5 Weather. The weather is a common topic of conversation, especially when there isn’t much else to talk about. Strangers often talk about the weather for brief periods of time.

(As two people (strangers) are leaving a store):

A: “Nice weather we are having.”

B: “Sure is. I hope it stays this way.”

A: “Beautiful day, isn’t it? ”

B: “Oh, yes. It’s gorgeous.”

A: “What awful weather we are having! ”

B: “I know. When’s it going to end? ”

6 Money matters. Men seem to talk more about money (except their own salaries) than women. Money matters include things like investments, stock, etc.

7 Possessions. Things. Again men seem to talk more than women about things they own or would like to own: computers, stereo equipment, televisions, cameras, cars, etc.

8 Sports. Many men and some women like to talk about sports such as baseball (during spring and summer), football (during fall and winter), and basketball (all year round).

9 Themselves. People enjoy hearing other people talk about themselves, as long as one person doesn’t do all the talking! You probably have had many experiences that other people (e.g. Americans) have not had. Moreover many Americans are interested in hearing about your experiences in the new culture.