Homework

Making Small Talk The ability to make 'small talk' is highly valued. In fact, many English students are more interested in making effective small talk than knowing correct grammar structures - andrightly so! Small talk gets friendships started and 'breaks the ice' before important business meetings and other events.
What is small talk? Small talk is pleasant conversation about commoninterests.
Why is small talk difficult for some English learners? First of all, making small talk is not difficult only for English learners, but also for many native speakers of English. However, small talkcan be especially difficult for some learners because making small talk means talking about almost anything - and that means having a wide vocabulary that can cover most topics. Most English learnershave excellent vocabulary in specific areas, but may have difficulties discussing topics they are unfamiliar with because of a lack of appropriate vocabulary. This lack of vocabulary leads to somestudents 'blocking'. They slow down or stop speaking completely because of a lack of self-confidence.
How to Improve Small Talk Skills Now that we understand the problem, the next step is to improvethe situation. Here are some tips to improve small talk skills. Of course, making effective small talk means lots of practice, but keeping these tips in mind should improve overall conversationalskills.
Do some research Spend time on the Internet, reading magazines, or watching TV specials about the type of people you are going to meet. For example: If you are taking a class with students fromother countries, take time after the first few days of class to do some research. They will appreciate your interest and your conversations will be much more interesting.
Stay away from religion/strongpolitical beliefs While you may believe in something very strongly, beginning conversations and making small talk about your own personal convictions may abruptly end the conversation. Keep it...