Are you big on small talk? Learn what it means in The English We Speak

Feifei: Hello. This is The English
We Speak. This is Rob…
Rob: And this is Feifei. So, Feifei,
how did the blind date go?
Feifei: Not great – a disaster in fact.
Rob: Oh no. Why didn’t you just
follow my advice?
Feifei: I did! Wear something nice,
turn up late and make small talk.
Rob: Yes, make small talk. Exactly.
Feifei: Well, when I started making small
talk, the guy looked at me in a strange
way and then walked off.
Rob: Oh no. What did you say?
Feifei: Things like ‘hi’, ‘good’, ‘yes’, ‘no’,
‘great’ – small words.
Rob: But no sentences? I think you’ve got
the wrong end of the stick here – I mean
you’ve misunderstood – making small talk
means making informal conversation
about unimportant things.
If you’re meeting someone
for the first time, it’s a good way
to make them feel relaxed
– you know, break the ice.
Feifei: Right! Make ‘small’ conversation.
Rob: I guess we should hear
some examples…
I didn’t know anybody at my
cousin’s wedding so I tried
to make small talk with the guests.
I’m shy and not very good at small talk.
That’s why I hate going to parties.
At the office party, we all had to stand
around making small talk, but all I really
wanted to do was go home!
Feifei: This is The English We Speak from
BBC Learning English. And we’re learning
about the expression ‘small talk’ – that’s
informal conversation which is meant
to make people feel more relaxed
and stops any embarrassing silence.
Actually, Rob, I do know about
small talk. It’s just that…
Rob: So, why didn’t you say?
Feifei: Well, I was going to tell you that…
Rob: You’ll never get a boyfriend
if you don’t speak up, Feifei!
You really need to talk more.
Feifei: Rob.
Rob: Yes?
Feifei: What I was trying to say was, I did
not have time for small talk because my date
would not stop talking. He was rude,
arrogant and wouldn’t let me
get a word in edgeways!
Now, who does that remind me of?!
Rob: Err… Nice weather for the
time of year, don’t you think?
Feifei: It’s a bit late for small talk now,
Rob. You’ve said far too much.
Rob: Oh.
Feifei: Bye bye!
Rob: Bye!