Small talk is an essential part of our daily lives and some of the best relationships that I have began as small talk. It is important for students to understand the importance of this social networking skill in order to become good communicators. In the classroom, small talk can be used to teach students about various interaction strategies and speaking topics that are useful and authentic. By employing the same ritual in our classes, we can efficiently simulate the real-life situation while still maintaining a safe environment for students to make mistakes and to increase their willingness to communicate.

Warm-Up (10–15 minutes)

Step 1: Free Write
Begin the class with a journal writing/ free-writing activity. Topics may vary and the following questions can be adapted to your individual classroom:

• What did you do last weekend? Rate your weekend on a scale of 1 to 5.
• Have you seen/read/watched anything interesting lately? Please describe.
• What do you do for fun? What are your hobbies?

Step 2: Sharing Time
Instruct students to find a partner and to tell their partners about what they did over the weekend.

Step 3: Class Discussion
Call on a few students to share their stories or ask for volunteers.

Presentation (30 minutes)

Step 1: Tools for Small Talk

Before the Video
Distribute the worksheets (.docx) provided (can be printed one-sided or double-sided) before playing the video and go over the questions to make sure that the students understand each question.

During the Video
Play the video: “The Art of Small Talk,” by Jeffrey Benjamin (4:30).

• Students will answer “The Art of Small Talk Video Worksheet.”
• Repeat the video again if necessary.

After the Video
Instruct the students to find a partner to compare their answers and discuss their personal experiences with small talk and the effectiveness of the tools mentioned in the video.

Step 2: Topics for Small Talk

Worksheet: Making Predictions
Turn over to the next page of the worksheet and have students predict whether the topics listed on the page are appropriate or inappropriate. Model the task, and give examples if necessary.

Lesson
Discuss these topics with your class. Regardless of your instruction site, teachers are encouraged to have a good understanding of the target culture where instruction is taking place prior to introducing this lesson and be able to provide insight into these topics for the students. If you are not native to the target culture, some familiarization with these topics may be required before teaching this lesson.

Share your own experiences dealing with these topics. For example, instances when inappropriate topics made you feel uncomfortable or when appropriate topics became the starting point of a good friendship or relationship. 

Sharing Time & Class Discussion
Instruct students to answer the discussion questions with a partner and call on a few volunteers to share their answers or their experiences with these topics.

Practice (20–25 minutes)

Step 1: Role-Play
Students will practice making small talk with at least three different partners for 5 minutes each.

• Taking the possible scenario from the discussion questions, write one scenario on the board and pretend that the whole class is waiting at a bus stop. Model the task and give examples. Have students role-play and initiate small talk with one other person for about 5 minutes.
• While the students are role-playing, write another scenario on the board for the next scene (in an elevator). Have the students recreate an elevator scene and initiate small talk with a different person.
• Repeat this step one more time with another scenario.

Step 2: Student Demonstration
Ask for volunteers or call on a few pairs to demonstrate their small talk scene. Rewards may be provided as incentive (extra credit points, candies, cookies, etc.).

Production

Homework/Project
For homework, instruct the students to initiate small talk with at least three strangers outside of class and write a one-paragraph summary of their experiences.

• This may be done over the weekend or due at a later date to give time for students to collect their data.
• Ask students to share their experiences with a partner next time in class.

References

Benjamin, J. (2008, December 12). The art of small talk [Video file]. Available from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYeX5oEw0h8

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Martha Wilson works as an ESL Instructor at Newton International College in Garden Grove, California and is currently a graduate student in the TESOL program at California State University, Fullerton. She is planning to complete her Master’s degree in May and is serving as the Vice President of the TESOL Club for the 2012–2013 school year.