Small Talk - How to Connect Effortlessly with Anyone

Strike Up Conversations with Confidence and Make Small Talk Without the Fear of Being Awkward

By: Betty Bohm

Narrated by: Andy Cross, Kerem Bayrak, Michele Lambert

Length: 2 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

Want to talk to that attractive person on the train home from work, but have no idea what to say?

Do you secretly dread going to parties?

Afraid you won't fit in at your new job because you don't "do" small talk?

Like it or not, we live in a world driven by social interaction. The more real connections we can make with others, the more doors we open for deep satisfaction at work, our social life and our love life.

Small talk is a critical first step in making those connections. Yet we have all been left to figure out how to master this skill on our own. It's no wonder so many people struggle with small talk, but you no longer have to be one of them.

No matter how long you've struggled or even if English isn't your native language, this guide will show you how to unlock the power of small talk to confidently connect with anyone.

Conquer the social fears holding you back.

©2014-2015 Jandalman Publishing (P)2015 Jandalman Publishing

Very low level of information

not what I expected. the book was very very basic and I could have written it myself. I thought personally that many of the examples in the book were not "small talk" but rather polite exchanges of words that was too short to be small talk. this is Smaller Talk

Small talk

If you could sum up Small Talk - How to Connect Effortlessly with Anyone in three words, what would they be?

Small talk. We all do it, and we all want to do it well.. Within this book you will find a great review of the subject written with a nice flow and I particularly enjoyed the section on what to do during the inevitable awkward moment! A very helpful book.

Helped me to be less afraid to go to meetups!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I sure would! Why? I am generally not the one who starts a conversation with a stranger. Now, after this weekend listening to this small talk guide, I feel confident to do so! I probably will not master it straight away, but that is not the point for me. I now have an approach, for example, to work on my credibility and how I come across. Very valuable stuff!

Who was your favorite character and why?

I loved the multiple speakers setup, and made it entertaining, too!

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

This question is for me irrelevant for this audio book, but again, I'd like to highlight the unique approach of this audiobook with multiple speakers. So often had I bought other "technical" books which were only narrated by one person, and honestly made it therefore quite boring for me to listen, so I stopped.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

To be honest, I had a slow start, so, no, I did not listen to it in one go. I had to "get warm" with it, but once I did and I got to dig more and more into the different examples, I finished listening all in one go!

Worthless

I have no idea how this book exists. It reminds me of a paper written by 5th grader on the principle of conversation

Absolute drivel

Would you try another book from Betty Bohm and/or the narrators?

No

What do you think your next listen will be?

not sure yet

Would you be willing to try another one of the narrators’s performances?

no

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Disappointment

Any additional comments?

Got halfway through and it spent that time going on and on stating the obvious on how society views small talk. Then occasionally forensically breaking down a conversation about things like the weather. Provided nothing of value to me

Small talk made easy for you

If your like me and struggle to start small talk with people you need to listen to this audio book.

Small Talk not only gives you the tactics but examples on how to use them.
I found the example of conversations very helpful.

You will learn a lot about small talk and be able to interact with people you don't know with ease.

Get this audio book now it's worth it. I promise.

Great help for that sometimes awkward small talk!

What made the experience of listening to Small Talk - How to Connect Effortlessly with Anyone the most enjoyable?

I love how there are three different voices, it really embeds the story and how to apply it in my mind.

What did you like best about this story?

It included techniques I could apply right away

Any additional comments?

It's fine to open up and talk to anyone, much easier than I made it out to be!

Small talk with woman

Any additional comments?

I was listening to this book on my way to work and I learned some basics that I just never think about. I guess it's some habits I created for myself but now I don't feel so stressed about it anymore trying small talk with woman and even some friends.

Great examples

I found this audiobook to be really helpful. It has a lot of real world examples of small talk (performed by actors, so they have the feel and speed of real conversations) that are then broken down by the author in order to explain each subtlety. I also liked the section on the differences of small talk between genders. Overall, very useful!

Do you smile at strangers?

Would you consider the audio edition of Small Talk - How to Connect Effortlessly with Anyone to be better than the print version?

The audiobook does a great job using multiple voices for the examples that they first provide, then break down the example to really show elements.

What did you like best about this story?

Really was the use of multiple voice actors.

Any additional comments?

I can understand the negative comments. This book is on a subject that is very natural to many people, yet there is a very quiet majority that are not great at connecting with people, or simply have a very negative viewpoint of small talk. I prefer deep conversations, and can be annoyed with small talk. This book showed me a slightly different way to look at those conversations as a filter to figure out and get to deep conversations quicker & with the right people. Basically, if you are an extrovert - the reason this book might appeal to you is to understand how more introverted people struggle with small talk & help them out. For introverts - this books can show you steps you can take to connect with more people, at that deep level you desire by using small talk to figure out who to go deeper with. Remember to smile at strangers ;-)