subject: Small Talk Not Small After All! [print this page] Small talk - you are either good at it or an utter failure. Either in a social gathering or in a business environment, small talk is one thing that almost anyone of us has to go through. Even experienced people have had issues with small talk particularly if the person they are to engage is their big boss, a personality, or a VIP.
Small talk is especially daunting even for managers if they have to engage someone who has authority over them. It may be the boss boss, the president of the company, a senator of the land or a prominent person, small talk becomes unnerving. Anything involving a superior can have a big impact. Conversations with a boss or a boss' boss can be fraught with danger. But on the other side, it can also be a source of many great opportunities. Danger comes from committing a blunder either from saying something offensive or saying something that is better left unsaid. Opportunity, on the other hand, arises because you can introduce a whole new aspect of yourself to someone who has the 'power' to influence.
If you are attending a gathering with the top honchos, you better prepare yourself to engage in small talk. Small talks are not always spontaneous when it comes to your senior bosses. You actually plan out what you will say or how you will say it. Read on and learn how you can prepare yourself for the chance of your life.
First, make sure that you are armed. CEOs or senior officers are not the people you expect to remember your name as you engage him or her in small talk so better print business cards to help them remember your name as they talk to you. Help your bosses avoid the embarrassing situation of pretending to know you or remembering your name when you can just give them your print business cards. Even if you work for the same company and your company has one business card printing template, it does not matter because what you are doing is in fact helping them avoid a potentially awkward situation.
Second, do your research. Know everything there is to know about the CEO, the senior managers, or the VIP. This would help you avoid embarrassing topics or questions. Try to find out their interests from their assistants who are more than willing to share this information with you. Avoid sensitive issues in your small talk. Dwell on things that you are comfortable talking about. As a rule of thumb, always put yourself in the shoe of the other person and if you felt that the topic of the small talk is something that you are not comfortable discussing then avoid it at all costs.
Third, do you homework. Apart from knowing the person, you also have to learn the issues the senior management is passionate about. Bone up on these so you know them too. Practice your spiel in advance to know what you will say to senior persons if you meet him in person. Focus on the issue and find a way to link it to yourself and your career.
Finally, relax. When you are introduced to a senior manager, go back to the basics. Make eye contact and establish a connection by shaking his or her hand. Smile and relax. There is nothing more awkward than a subordinate who cannot engage a senior manager in good conversation. Use this opportunity to convey a message or a note of appreciation.
