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DO YOU STRUGGLE WITH SMALL TALK? HERE'S SOME HELP!
Ever find yourself fumbling for words while talking to someone? When it comes to small talk, transform "Hello" into a more meaningful connection with easy-to-follow advice from Stanford Communication Professor Matt Abrahams.
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TV/STREAMING NEWS VERSIONS:
PLUG-AND-PLAY PACKAGE:
STORY FORMAT: PKG & Teases Below
TRT: 2:00
{**ON CAM**}
WE’VE ALL BEEN THERE... STANDING AROUND AT AN EVENT... DESPERATELY TRYING TO COME UP WITH A WAY TO KICK-START A CONVERSATION WITH SOMEONE.
IT CAN BE AWKWARD FOR SURE!
BUT FEAR NOT BECAUSE KASEY CARTER HAS SOME ADVICE FROM A COMMUNICATION PROFESSOR... WHICH MAY HELP YOU ACE THE ART OF SMALL TALK.
{**TAKE PKG**}
{**VO**}
SMALL TALK MAY SEEM TRIVIAL... BUT IT CAN BE A KEY TO UNLOCKING NEW FRIENDSHIPS... ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS... OR LANDING THAT DREAM JOB.
[CG: Matt Abrahams / Author of "Think Faster, Talk Smarter"]
{**SOT**}
"Small talk gets a bad rap. I think a lot of big good things happen in small talk. So I'm on a personal crusade or a personal mission to rebrand small talk."
[TRT: 10]
[OUTCUE: REBRAND SMALL TALK]
{**VO**}
MATT ABRAHAMS TEACHES COMMUNICATION AT STANFORD. HE WROTE THE BOOK ‘THINK FASTER... TALK SMARTER’ AND HE ALSO HOSTS A PODCAST.
WHEN IT COMES TO SMALL TALK?
{**SOT**}
“It's not about you, it's about your audience.”
[TRT: 02]
[OUTCUE: ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE]
{**VO**}
INSTEAD OF TRYING TO BE INTERESTING TO THE OTHER PERSON... BE INTERESTED IN WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY.
{**SOT**}
“I think we really need to remind ourselves that it's a lot about listening. A lot of us listen just enough to get a gist of what's being said, and then we start formulating our own thoughts or judging and evaluating.”
[TRT: 11]
[OUTCUE: JUDGING AND EVALUATING]
{**VO**}
INSTEAD... FOCUS ON WHAT THE OTHER PERSON IS SAYING AND ASK QUESTIONS.
{**SOT**}
“So you should be thinking, what questions can I ask to engage, to bring somebody out and let them share their insight?”
[TRT: 07]
[OUTCUE: SHARE THEIR INSIGHT?]
{**VO**}
SPRINKLE IN ‘SUPPORTIVE RESPONSES’ AS WELL.
{**SOT**}
“So imagine you and I are talking and you're telling me about an amazing vacation you had to Hawaii. A supportive response would be, "Oh, which island did you go to? What were some of the things you did?" It's important to deliver supporting responses to show interest, engagement and listening.”
[TRT: 15]
[OUTCUE: ENGAGEMENT AND LISTENING.]
{**VO**}
HE SAYS TO AVOID GENERIC, SMALL TALK STATEMENTS.
{**SOT**}
“Hi, how are you? Or what is it you do?”
[TRT: 02]
[OUTCUE: WHAT IS IT YOU DO?]
{**VO**}
BE BOLD AND ASK MORE PROVOCATIVE QUESTIONS.
{**SOT**}
“I was at one of these conferences, walked into a room, didn't know anybody, and I went up to somebody and I said, did I miss the memo? Everybody's wearing blue shirts and the person looked around, laughed, and we had a wonderful conversation.”
[TRT: 13]
[OUTCUE: WONDERFUL CONVERSATION]
{**VO**}
AND IF SOMEONE TOSSES A GENERIC QUESTION TO YOU?....
{**SOT**}
“I might say something like, ‘I'm doing really well today. I got a personal record on my run,’ or ‘The coffee I had this morning was really much better than usual.’ So I try to take that question and make it more specific and lead to another question I can ask that's not one of these generic questions.”
[TRT: 18]
[OUTCUE: GENERIC QUESTIONS.]
{**VO**}
ADVICE WHEN IT COMES TO SMALL TALK THAT MAY HELP YOU MAKE MORE MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS WITH OTHERS.
{**END PKG**}
{**ANCHOR ON CAM TAG**}
MATT ABRAHAM’S BOOK ‘THINK FASTER, TALK SMARTER’ IS SOLD ON AMAZON AND IN MAJOR BOOKSTORES.
_________________________
TEASES:
MANY OF US STRUGGLE WITH SPEAKING TO STRANGERS.
HEAR ADVICE FROM AN EXPERT ON HOW TO MASTER THE ART OF SMALL TALK.
###
IF YOU DREAD TALKING TO CO-WORKERS OR STRANGERS... A STANFORD PROFESSOR SAYS TO SWITCH UP YOUR THINKING.
HEAR HIS ADVICE ON HOW YOU CAN MASTER THE ART OF SMALL TALK.
###
SMALL TALK CAN BE VERY AWKWARD.
BUT THERE ARE SOME SIMPLE TIPS THAT MAY HELP.
WE HAVE ADVICE FROM A STANFORD COMMUNICATION PROFESSOR.
RE-TRACKABLE PKG:
STORY FORMAT: PKG & Teases Below
TRT: 2:00
{**ON CAM**}
WE’VE ALL BEEN THERE... STANDING AROUND AT AN EVENT... DESPERATELY TRYING TO COME UP WITH A WAY TO KICK-START A CONVERSATION WITH SOMEONE.
IT CAN BE AWKWARD FOR SURE!
BUT A STANFORD COMMUNICATION PROFESSOR HAS SOME ADVICE THAT MAY HELP YOU ACE THE ART OF SMALL TALK.
{**TAKE PKG**}
{**VO**}
SMALL TALK MAY SEEM TRIVIAL... BUT IT CAN BE A KEY TO UNLOCKING NEW FRIENDSHIPS... ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS... OR LANDING THAT DREAM JOB.
[CG: Matt Abrahams / Author of "Think Faster, Talk Smarter"]
{**SOT**}
"Small talk gets a bad rap. I think a lot of big good things happen in small talk. So I'm on a personal crusade or a personal mission to rebrand small talk."
[TRT: 10]
[OUTCUE: REBRAND SMALL TALK]
{**VO**}
MATT ABRAHAMS TEACHES COMMUNICATION AT STANFORD. HE WROTE THE BOOK ‘THINK FASTER... TALK SMARTER’ AND HE ALSO HOSTS A PODCAST.
WHEN IT COMES TO SMALL TALK?
{**SOT**}
“It's not about you, it's about your audience.”
[TRT: 02]
[OUTCUE: ABOUT YOUR AUDIENCE]
{**VO**}
INSTEAD OF TRYING TO BE INTERESTING TO THE OTHER PERSON... BE INTERESTED IN WHAT THEY HAVE TO SAY.
{**SOT**}
“I think we really need to remind ourselves that it's a lot about listening. A lot of us listen just enough to get a gist of what's being said, and then we start formulating our own thoughts or judging and evaluating.”
[TRT: 11]
[OUTCUE: JUDGING AND EVALUATING]
{**VO**}
INSTEAD... FOCUS ON WHAT THE OTHER PERSON IS SAYING AND ASK QUESTIONS.
{**SOT**}
“So you should be thinking, what questions can I ask to engage, to bring somebody out and let them share their insight?”
[TRT: 07]
[OUTCUE: SHARE THEIR INSIGHT?]
{**VO**}
SPRINKLE IN ‘SUPPORTIVE RESPONSES’ AS WELL.
{**SOT**}
“So imagine you and I are talking and you're telling me about an amazing vacation you had to Hawaii. A supportive response would be, "Oh, which island did you go to? What were some of the things you did?" It's important to deliver supporting responses to show interest, engagement and listening.”
[TRT: 15]
[OUTCUE: ENGAGEMENT AND LISTENING.]
{**VO**}
HE SAYS TO AVOID GENERIC, SMALL TALK STATEMENTS.
{**SOT**}
“Hi, how are you? Or what is it you do?”
[TRT: 02]
[OUTCUE: WHAT IS IT YOU DO?]
{**VO**}
BE BOLD AND ASK MORE PROVOCATIVE QUESTIONS.
{**SOT**}
“I was at one of these conferences, walked into a room, didn't know anybody, and I went up to somebody and I said, did I miss the memo? Everybody's wearing blue shirts and the person looked around, laughed, and we had a wonderful conversation.”
[TRT: 13]
[OUTCUE: WONDERFUL CONVERSATION]
{**VO**}
AND IF SOMEONE TOSSES A GENERIC QUESTION TO YOU?....
{**SOT**}
“I might say something like, ‘I'm doing really well today. I got a personal record on my run,’ or ‘The coffee I had this morning was really much better than usual.’ So I try to take that question and make it more specific and lead to another question I can ask that's not one of these generic questions.”
[TRT: 18]
[OUTCUE: GENERIC QUESTIONS.]
{**VO**}
ADVICE WHEN IT COMES TO SMALL TALK THAT MAY HELP YOU MAKE MORE MEANINGFUL CONNECTIONS WITH OTHERS.
{**END PKG**}
{**ANCHOR ON CAM TAG**}
MATT ABRAHAM’S BOOK ‘THINK FASTER, TALK SMARTER’ IS SOLD ON AMAZON AND IN MAJOR BOOKSTORES.
_________________________
TEASES:
MANY OF US STRUGGLE WITH SPEAKING TO STRANGERS.
HEAR ADVICE FROM AN EXPERT ON HOW TO MASTER THE ART OF SMALL TALK.
###
IF YOU DREAD TALKING TO CO-WORKERS OR STRANGERS... A STANFORD PROFESSOR SAYS TO SWITCH UP YOUR THINKING.
HEAR HIS ADVICE ON HOW YOU CAN MASTER THE ART OF SMALL TALK.
###
SMALL TALK CAN BE VERY AWKWARD.
BUT THERE ARE SOME SIMPLE TIPS THAT MAY HELP.
WE HAVE ADVICE FROM A STANFORD COMMUNICATION PROFESSOR.
VO/SOTS:
STORY FORMAT: VO/SOTs & Teases below
VO/SOT OPTION 1:
{**ANCHOR INTRO**}
WE’VE ALL BEEN THERE... STANDING AROUND AT AN EVENT... DESPERATELY TRYING TO COME UP WITH A WAY TO KICK-START A CONVERSATION WITH SOMEONE. IT CAN BE SO AWKWARD. BUT A BOOK HAS ADVICE THAT MAY HELP YOU ACE THE ART OF SMALL TALK.
{**VO**}
[:05-:34]
IT’S CALLED ‘THINK FASTER... TALK SMARTER.’
AND IT’S WRITTEN BY MATT ABRAHAMS WHO TEACHES COMMUNICATION AT STANFORD.
HE SAYS IF SOMEONE ASKS YOU A GENERIC QUESTION LIKE ‘HOW ARE YOU?’ INSTEAD OF SAYING, ‘FINE,’ COME UP WITH A MORE ORIGINAL ANSWER.
[CG: Matt Abrahams, Author of Think Faster, Talk Smarter]
{**SOT**}
[:39-:57]
(“I might say something like, ‘I'm doing really well today. I got a P-R on my run or a personal record on my run,’ or ‘The coffee I had this morning was really much better than usual. So I try to take that question and make it more specific and lead to another question I can ask that's not one of these generic questions.”)
[TRT: 18]
[OUTCUE: THESE GENERIC QUESTIONS.]
{**ANCHOR TAG**}
MATT SAYS WHEN YOU’RE MAKING SMALL TALK ... REALLY LISTEN... RATHER THAN FORMULATING WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO SAY NEXT.
INSTEAD OF TRYING TO BE ‘INTERESTING’ TO THE OTHER PERSON... HE SAYS YOU SHOULD SHOW THAT YOU’RE ‘INTERESTED’ IN THEM BY ASKING THEM QUESTIONS AND BY TRYING TO GET TO KNOW THEM BETTER.
VO/SOT OPTION 2:
{**ANCHOR INTRO**}
WE’VE ALL BEEN THERE... STANDING AROUND AT AN EVENT... DESPERATELY TRYING TO COME UP WITH A WAY TO KICK-START A CONVERSATION WITH SOMEONE. IT CAN BE SO AWKWARD. BUT A BOOK HAS ADVICE THAT MAY HELP YOU ACE THE ART OF SMALL TALK.
{**VO**}
[:05-:34]
IT’S CALLED ‘THINK FASTER... TALK SMARTER.’
AND IT’S WRITTEN BY MATT ABRAHAMS WHO TEACHES COMMUNICATION AT STANFORD.
HE SAYS YOU'LL HAVE A MUCH EASIER TIME WITH SMALL TALK IF YOU SWITCH UP YOUR THINKING ABOUT IT.
[CG: Matt Abrahams, Author of Think Faster, Talk Smarter]
{**SOT**}
[1:02-1:13]
(“Many of us see it as a necessary evil or as a chore that we have to endure when in fact if you go in with curiosity and an openess, it can be dramatically different.”)
[TRT: 10]
[OUTCUE: IT CAN BE DRAMATICALLY DIFFERENT.]
{**ANCHOR TAG**}
MATT SAYS WHEN YOU’RE MAKING SMALL TALK ... REALLY LISTEN... RATHER THAN FORMULATING WHAT YOU’RE GOING TO SAY NEXT.
INSTEAD OF TRYING TO BE ‘INTERESTING’ TO THE OTHER PERSON... HE SAYS YOU SHOULD SHOW THAT YOU’RE ‘INTERESTED’ IN THEM BY ASKING THEM QUESTIONS AND BY TRYING TO GET TO KNOW THEM BETTER.
_________________________
TEASES:
MANY OF US STRUGGLE WITH SPEAKING TO STRANGERS.
HEAR ADVICE FROM AN EXPERT ON HOW TO MASTER THE ART OF SMALL TALK.
###
IF YOU DREAD TALKING TO CO-WORKERS OR STRANGERS... A STANFORD PROFESSOR SAYS TO SWITCH UP YOUR THINKING.
HEAR HIS ADVICE ON HOW YOU CAN MASTER THE ART OF SMALL TALK.
###
SMALL TALK CAN BE VERY AWKWARD.
BUT THERE ARE SOME SIMPLE TIPS THAT MAY HELP.
WE HAVE ADVICE FROM A STANFORD COMMUNICATION PROFESSOR.
DIGITAL/PRINT VERSIONS:
Digital Producers: Use this article "As-Is" or modify it and post it in your morning newsletters or on your website:
RETHINKING SMALL TALK: HOW TO FORGE REAL CONNECTIONS DURING CASUAL CONVERSATIONS
We've all been there – standing around at an event, desperately trying to come up with a way to kick-start a conversation with someone. It can be awkward for sure, but fear not, because a book has advice that may help you ace the art of small talk.
Matt Abrahams, the author of the book, 'Think Faster, Talk Smarter,' is on a mission to rebrand small talk. Abrahams teaches Communication at Stanford University, and he hosts a popular podcast. He says small talk gets a bad rap, but he believes that a lot of significant things can happen in those seemingly inconsequential conversations.
"It's not about you, it's about your audience," says Abrahams. In other words, when you engage in small talk, it's crucial to shift your focus away from trying to be interesting to the other person and instead, be genuinely interested in what they have to say.
Abrahams emphasizes the importance of listening: "A lot of us listen just enough to get a gist of what's being said, and then we start formulating our thoughts or judging and evaluating. Instead, focus on what the other person is saying and ask questions."
He advises sprinkling in 'supportive responses' as well. For example, if someone is telling you about their amazing vacation to Hawaii, a supportive response would be, "Oh, which island did you go to? What were some of the things you did?" This not only shows that you're interested but also encourages them to share more.
According to Abrahams, generic small talk statements like "Hi, how are you?" or "What is it you do?" should be avoided. Instead, he encourages people to be bold and ask more provocative questions.
Abrahams shares a personal anecdote: "I was at one of these conferences, walked into a room, didn't know anybody, and I went up to somebody and I said, 'Did I miss the memo? Everybody's wearing blue shirts.' The person looked around, laughed, and we had a wonderful conversation."
If someone tosses a generic question your way, Abrahams suggests turning it into an opportunity to make the conversation more specific and engaging. For instance, if someone asks, "How are you today?" you might reply with, "I'm doing really well today. I got a personal record on my run," or "The coffee I had this morning was much better than usual." This not only adds depth to the conversation but also leads to more meaningful and thought-provoking questions.
Small talk may seem trivial, but if done right, it can be a powerful tool to help you make more meaningful connections with others. Remember, it's not about you; it's about your audience. Listen, ask questions, and be bold – you might be surprised at the wonderful conversations and connections that you can create.
SMALL TALK
LIFE HACKS, RELATIONSHIPS
SOCIAL MEDIA VERSIONS:
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SOCIAL MEDIA CAPTIONS:
1. Transform "Hello" into a meaningful connection with tips from Matt Abrahams' book, "Think Faster, Talk Smarter." It may boost your communication skills including small talk. 🗣️✨ #SmallTalkBigImpact #TheStoryPros
2. Feeling awkward at networking events? Learn how to ace the art of small talk from a Stanford communication expert. #NetworkingNinja #TheStoryPros
3. Small talk doesn't have to be dull! Dive into "Think Faster, Talk Smarter" and turn casual chats into captivating conversations. 📚💬 #TalkSmart
4. Say goodbye to "How are you?" and "Hello" to engaging exchanges. Matt Abrahams guides you through the small talk transformation. 🔄 #ElevateConversation #TheStoryPros
5. Discover the power of listening and supportive responses in your daily chatter with insights from Matt Abrahams. 🎧 #ListenAndLearn #TheStoryPros
6. Make every word count! Matt Abrahams' book is your roadmap from awkward silences to compelling conversations. 🛣️🗨️ #SmallTalkSuccess #TheStoryPros
7. Unleash the conversationalist in you with "Think Faster, Talk Smarter" and never dread small talk again. 💬🌟 #ConvoStarter #TheStoryPros
8. Matt Abrahams teaches us that the art of small talk is really about the art of being interested. Time to turn the chat game on its head! 🔝 #SmallTalkRevolution #TheStoryPros
9. From casual to captivating – Matt Abrahams' communication expertise can make your small talk the talk of the town! 🏙️💭 #MasterTheChat #TheStoryPros
10. Provocative questions over generic greetings. Get the scoop on stellar small talk strategies from a Stanford podcaster. ✨ #BeyondSmallTalk #TheStoryPros
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