The Fine Art of Small Talk

How to Start a Conversation, Keep It Going, Build Networking Skills - and Leave a Positive Impression!

By: Debra Fine

Narrated by: Debra Fine

Nationally recognized communication expert, keynote speaker and trainer and best-selling author Debra Fine reveals the techniques and strategies anyone can use to make small talk—in any situation. Do you spend an abnormal amount of time hiding out in the bathroom or hanging out at the buffet table at social gatherings? Does the thought of striking up a conversation with a stranger make your stomach do flip-flops? Do you sit nervously through job interviews waiting for the other person to speak? Are you a Nervous Ned or Nellie when it comes to networking? Then it's time you mastered the fine art of small talk.

With practical advice and conversation cheat sheets, The Fine Art of Small Talk will help you learn to feel more comfortable in any type of social or mingling situation, from lunch with the boss, a first face-to-face date, to an industry event, a business networking opportunity, or even a cocktail party where you don't know a soul. In this newly revised, updated edition Fine offers additional tools and tips on virtual interactions, managing political conversations, and navigating conversations addressing transition, illness, and grief.

This fast-paced, informative audio program offers concrete tools to:

• Strike up conversations and keep them going
• Master introductions and remember names
• Come across as composed and self-assured when interacting decision makers, client, and colleagues
• Develop rapport with anyone
• Become an “active” listener
• Overcome communication barriers
• Handle awkward situations
• Come up with topics to discuss
• Avoid conversation “killers”
• Prepare for successful conversation
• Exit conversations with grace
• Feel more at ease at award receptions, banquets, receptions, and networking events

©2023 Debra Fine (P)2023 Debra Fine

Has its flaws...

I'm something of an introvert and struggle to make conversation. I picked up this book in hopes of sharpening my conversational skills and it mostly served the purpose.

There is the usual fluff. Debra Fine spends almost an hour of the book telling you how learning small talk skills will improve your life (as though someone who bought a book on the subject needs convincing). She does give mostly solid advice but there is some perplexing and even contradictory stuff, too. One that left me scratching my head was when she advises you to say "Happy Holidays," because you never know what holidays the person you are talking to celebrates, and then in a subsequent chapter advises singles to go on dates with people even if they "aren't the gender you are attracted to." Call me unenlightened but it seems much ruder to me to lead someone on and waste their evening than it does to wish they have a happy holiday that they don't celebrate. I also found the delivery of some of the information to be a bit syrupy. The chapter on conversation killers seemed especially saccharine.

Then there is the narration. Debra Fine is not a bad narrator but she is definitely not a great one. The best I can say is that she sounds forced and exaggerated if tolerable.

The book has its brighter, more practical points but, overall, I felt as though it could've been shortened by almost an hour and, more than once, felt as though Ms. Fine was handing out advice that had nothing to do with small talk.

Indispensable Goldmine for Learning to Small Talk

Debra Fine’s book on small talk is excellent. I enjoyed her use of humor. Her examples of do’s and don’ts provide a superb range of guidelines for social navigation and small talk. Well, some of the “don’ts” made me nervous that I may inadvertently do one of them as a “don’t look down” problem—but I would still rather be in the know! Thank you for writing this book for all of us introverts/shy people!

Interesting book, bad narration.

It felt a little dry when narrated by the author. It would have definitely been a better experience with a professional narrator.

Good tips

Very good tips I learned a lot of tricks to networking and continuing conversations. I lost this skill in the past but I feel like this book will help me regain it.

Pretty good tips

As a shy person, I feel like there’s some nuggets of gold here to help break me out of my shell. Def gonna try some of them.