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Small Talk Guide

Brenda Mulerov is an experienced English teacher and speech coach who provides guidance on improving small talk skills. She outlines 7 strategies for effective small talk, including introducing yourself, asking open-ended questions, listening, and finding common interests. Brenda provides sample phrases for showing interest, clarifying misunderstandings, and introducing oneself. She describes helping a client named Matt improve his communication skills and confidence at work through her program. Brenda invites interested clients to contact her for help expanding their vocabulary, pronunciation, and professional writing skills.

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104 views

Small Talk Guide

Brenda Mulerov is an experienced English teacher and speech coach who provides guidance on improving small talk skills. She outlines 7 strategies for effective small talk, including introducing yourself, asking open-ended questions, listening, and finding common interests. Brenda provides sample phrases for showing interest, clarifying misunderstandings, and introducing oneself. She describes helping a client named Matt improve his communication skills and confidence at work through her program. Brenda invites interested clients to contact her for help expanding their vocabulary, pronunciation, and professional writing skills.

Uploaded by

Nina Vug
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Small Talk

Quick Mastery Guide

Brenda Mulerov
About Me
I am Brenda Mulerov, I am an experienced English teacher and
Speech and Drama Coach. I have been teaching English
Communication skills, voice training, pronunciation, and public
speaking for more than 20 years.

I have judged and adjudicated many festivals and competitions.

My passion is to assist those who lack confidence to become


confident speakers and presenters.

"Courage comes from


wanting to say it well: security
comes from knowing you can
say it well; confidence comes
from having said it well."

What is ‘small talk’


and how can it help you in your career?

Small talk is short conversations about everyday topics,


such as the weather, news and sports.

In business, being able to make small talk comfortably


and confidently is a key skill that can lead to great
opportunities in your career.

This is because small talk helps you build relationships


with people, and often leads to longer and more
important conversations.

Let’s focus on some key phrases and strategies we can use


to make small talk in English simple and enjoyable.

Did you know?


Small talk makes up
1/3 of human speech.
7 Strategies
to become a pro at making small talk
Be the first to say hello and introduce yourself. Take the
initiative and break the ice. Others will be thankful you did.

(Break the ice = doing or saying something in a social situation


that makes other people feel comfortable.)

Ask questions about the other person and what you perceive
their interests and passions to be. The more the other person
talks about what they are interested in, the more they will enjoy
the conversation with you.

Use ‘open’ questions instead of ‘closed’ questions.


"Is everything ok?" = closed
“How are things going with you?” = open
“Do you enjoy your job?” = closed
“How do you feel about your job?” = open

Be a good listener.

Show your interest. (we’ll take a look at some phrases in the


next section you can use to do this).

Find out what you and the other person have in common.

Extend the conversation. Once you know someone’s interests


and what you have in common, it will be easy to keep the
conversation going. Remember to use ‘open’ questions ;)
Introducing yourself
Introducing yourself in English is very simple;
“Hi, I’m ______”

Usually the other person will share their name, and you can
respond with: “It’s great to meet you, (name)”

Extra tip: Use a strong adjective to create a better first


impression, e.g. nice -> great

If the other person doesn’t tell you their name (or you met
them earlier and forgot it), you can say: “I’m sorry, I didn’t
catch your name (earlier)”

Top Tip: Once you know a person’s name, use it


immediately. This will make the other person feel more
comfortable in your presence. It will also make it easier for
you to remember that person’s name the next time you
meet them.

"A person's name is to him or her the sweetest and


most important sound in any language."
– Dale Carnegie.
Showing interest
when making small talk

When we are very interested or surprised our voice is higher


and louder. Use a rising intonation to communicate this.
Here are some English phrases you can practise using.

Normal Response
Uh-huh.
Got it.
That’s interesting.
Oh, I see.
Right.

Stronger Response
(higher intonation)

Really?
Wow! That’s amazing!
That’s incredible!
No way!
You’re joking!
What to say
when there’s a misunderstanding
If a misunderstanding happens, don’t worry! It’s totally normal.
The most important thing is that you know how to deal with
them when they do.

Here are some useful English phrases you can use to get the
conversation back on track.

When you don’t understand the other person


1. What do you mean exactly?
2. I’m sorry, I’m not sure what you mean.
3. I’m sorry, I’m not sure I follow.
4. I’m afraid I don’t follow.

When the other person doesn’t understand you


1. What I mean is … (summarize your main point)
2. In other words… (summarize your main point)
3. Basically, (summarize your main point)
Client case study
How Matt went from anxiety, low confidence, and a constant fear
of making mistakes, to a confident English communicator.

Matt is an awesome professional with an abundance of


experience and technical skills. Unfortunately, due to a lack of
confidence and practice communicating in English, he was
struggling to reach his potential at work. He felt shy speaking
with colleagues and clients and opportunities to advance in his
career were passing him by.

By following the guidance on my Communication &


Presentation Program and learning to communicate confidently
in important professional situations, he has seen explosive
growth in just 10 weeks.

He’s already communicating with more fluency.


He’s making fewer mistakes.
His anxiety is starting to vanish.

By working on his English communication skills, Matt has already


accelerated his professional progress, and I’m excited to see the
opportunities are waiting for him in the future.
Being able to make small talk
effectively is a powerful skill, but
alone it isn’t enough!
Here's what you need to do!

Expand your key vocabulary and practice regularly so


you can feel more confident expressing yourself in English
with your colleagues, bosses and clients at work.
Focus on your pronunciation so you can avoid
embarrassing misunderstandings when speaking up in
meetings or on calls.
Learn how to write professional emails and messages
in English which means you'll save time and feel less
anxious the next time you need to hit that send button.

It’s taken me years of blood, sweat, and tears to develop the


most effective strategies to help you achieve all of the above
I share these exact proven strategies on my Communication &
Presentation Skills Program.

If you’re interested in learning more,


send me a private message on LinkedIn
saying “SMALL TALK!” and we can figure out
how I can help you.
Thank you!
Ingrid R.
----
A group of public speaking teachers had the privilege of attending an
effective communication presentation workshop with Brenda. Her
knowledge, passion and confidence in all aspects were clearly evident in
her presentation. I strongly recommend Brenda for coaching and
communication as I know that with her skills and expertise, she will
make a real difference.

Brenda Mulerov

Making small talk confidently and comfortably is


a key skill that can lead to great opportunities.
The more you practise, the more confident you’ll
become, and the more you’ll start to enjoy it.

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