Happy Saturday, bookworms. It's officially PSL season here in Connecticut. Feel free to drink one while you read this email ☕

This week, we begin chatting about the science behind chatting!

— Maneet

Weekly Discussion

The best kind of books are the ones that can read your mind.

This month’s book is doing just that.

As a self-proclaimed introvert who just started his fall semester of grad school, I really wanted to learn some tips to improve my small talk skills. I suck at it. If you put me into a room full of chatty people, I’m usually the one awkwardly pulling out his phone to look busy.

How in the world do people seamlessly strike up such fun conversations?

I’ve always assumed it was a natural ability I didn’t have.

For the month of September, I’m reading Talk by Alison Wood Brooks. In the first chapter, I learned quickly that being a good conversationalist is a skill that can be improved through practice. When it comes down to it, good conversations can actually be broken into a few very specific components.

The goal simply becomes being aware of what’s happening in the conversations you have.

This week, I learned about the first component of the TALK acronym: topics. Most of us show up to conversations unprepared and hope for the best (at least that’s what I do). But apparently, spending just a few minutes brainstorming a list of topics you can talk about with people can make all the difference.

You start with small talk topics.

Small talk topics are ones that can be had with anyone. Some overused ones are things like the weather or food. Even though small talk is surface-level and boring, it’s often a necessary first step to get things moving.

It’s the foundation of the conversation pyramid.

Transitioning from a small talk topic to a more personal topic is key.

For example, a conversation can start with a topic about favorite New York pizza spots. But that can easily turn into an entry point to asking about your friend’s experience living in NYC, which is much more personal. Having some good entry point topics is the secret to sparking deeper ones.

What do you think? Do you have a list of topics or conversation starters that you keep at the ready? I’d love to hear them.

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