I was standing at a hotel coffee station last month, holding a tiny porcelain creamer shaped like a cow, when a stranger walked up next to me and said: “Hello.” My brain went completely blank. I couldn’t even summon a “how about this weather?” level of reply.
If you’ve ever had that moment, you’re in excellent company. As a professional speaker and executive coach, I talk for a living, and I still get caught flat-footed by a casual greeting.
Small talk might seem inconsequential, but it’s the warm-up before the real workout of connection. Like any warm-up, it goes a lot better when you know a few moves.
So I keep three easy lead-ins in my back pocket. They work in almost any setting, whether you are in an elevator, at a conference happy hour or during the two minutes before a Zoom kicks off. None of them require you to be naturally charming. They just require you to pay a tiny bit of attention.
DON’T MISS: The communication skill that can help you accelerate your career growth
