"I understand they have been trained, so it isn’t necessarily their fault, but I need a better response than 'who wants to ...

Charles Duhigg, author of "The Power of Habit," argues that small talk isn't an innate skill, but rather a learned behavior that can be studied and crafted to perfectly suit any situation — whether ...

Many companies are training their employees to “be friendlier.” Now, when I go to pay for my groceries or have bloodwork done ...

Not every meaningful conversation happens in a meeting. Some of the best ideas—and strongest connections—begin by the coffee ...

Chris Schembra has hosted over 700 community-building dinners. He's found that these key emotionally intelligent phrases help ...

An evening out on the town with my closest friends — I love the promise of a night out. Maybe I’ll meet someone or learn something that could alter the trajectory of my life. And what a promise that ...

I spent much of last weekend engaging in small talk, a social task I sometimes find a laborious activity. Maybe that’s just me. Still, last weekend was the Labor Day holiday, so I suppose I should ...

Conversations, whether at holiday parties or other times of the year, don’t have to be awkward. (Getty Images) Between holiday dinners with relatives you haven’t heard from all year, office parties ...

We’ve all been there. Whether it’s checking out at a store or trying to lull the awkwardness when meeting someone new, small talk has been used by all of us. For some people, having these little ...