"Skip the Small Talk" events offer speed-friending to the shy and the bold. A room filled with people talking and sharing their thoughts can be either an extrovert's dream or an introvert's nightmare.

Increased daily happiness: Research shows that “simple social interactions,” such as engaging in conversation with strangers ...

Small talk has a bad reputation. People roll their eyes at it and see it as a dreaded necessity that they need to get out of ...

People who can't handle small often come off as rude, but there's something deeper under the surface. There’s a big difference between someone who’s antisocial and someone who just doesn’t enjoy small ...

Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Dr. Cheryl Robinson covers areas of leadership, pivoting and careers. How do you prevent small talk during meetings so it doesn’t ...

I had been waiting all week to talk to a coworker about something urgent, so when we finally planned to meet at the coffee shop, I was relieved. I walked in, eager to share, but before I could tell ...

Learning how to get better at small talk might not seem like much of a conversational superpower. Arguably everyone’s least favorite part of socializing, surface-level chitchat can be awkward, ...

I know I’m not alone in disliking small talk. Yes, I have a history of social anxiety. I mean, I once hid behind Tim Gunn’s grandfather clock to avoid small talk at a fundraiser at his apartment.

While small talk sometimes gets a bad rap, people who genuinely enjoy it know it serves a much deeper purpose than just filling awkward silences. Whether it’s chatting with a stranger at the coffee ...