What to talk about?

A statement I hear often is: "I hate small talk!"  - usually because it's considered boring, forced, banal or just too hard to think of something interesting to ask someone to whom we've just been introduced.

At some point, we've all made small talk. It is how we progressed beyond acquaintance to friend with those in our intimate circles. The best thing anyone ever explained to me about small talk was - get the other person talking; it's not you who needs to be fascinating - help them tell their story.

So in that spirit, here's a few general questions to play with to help someone else be fascinating. Some of these questions work in any circumstance, some at events and some are just for fun!

• What's your proudest moment (this week/ year etc.)?
• What do you wish you had more time for?
• When was the last time you laughed out loud?
• What's your favourite moment of every day?
• What's your perfect work day?
• What is the highlight of your LinkedIn profile?
• What's the most important skill needed for your job?
• Do  you believe in continuous self-development & learning?
• What's your best networking tip?
• What piece of advice would you give yourself 10 or 15 years ago if you could?
• What's your favourite website?
• What's the one thing you do every weekend?
• What did you think you'd grow up to be when you were 6?
• What's your favourite guilty pleasure for food?
• What superpower do you wish you had?
• What 3 books are by your bed?
• What's the best presentation you've heard this year?