Small Talk

keep the conversation going! . 43
they will have nothing in common with another person.
We easily allow differences of all kinds to bias us against
engaging in conversation. We allow gender, ethnicity, social
status, generation, occupation, lifestyle, and a host of
other differences to create artificial barriers to success. In
the course of touring the country and talking to thousands
of people in every geographic region, from all
walks of life, I have affirmed that we are all more alike
than we are different. It’s simply a matter of talking,
showing an interest, and listening. When I approach a
conversation I’m slowly peeling an onion—just one layer
at a time. I am always amazed and gratified by how interesting
and worthwhile it is to take the time to talk
with a stranger.
At one of the first programs I presented, I asked
everyone to introduce himself or herself and tell why
they came to a session on small talk. The first person to
introduce himself was a gentleman named Bob. He
said he was attending because he was a Motorola
customer-service engineer, and his boss wanted him to
improve his conversational skills with customers. He
added that, although his boss sent him to the session,
he was glad because he’d just moved to the very small