I really struggle with small talk at work when I am around someone who I normally don't talk to and we end up in the elevator together, subway together, crossing paths down the hall, or at the copy machine.

After the weather I seriously run out of conversation. Anyone else

I would say I'm pretty shy just like anybody else, in high school especially I could never muster the courage to ask a girl on a date for that reason I never attended my H.S. prom either, my mom even took me to see a psychologist too see if I had a problem but nothing was discovered.

It wasn't until after H.S. and getting my first job at 19 working fast food that I started to interact with people, I had to pretty much since I was facing hungry customers everyday so that really helped me to come out of my shell so to speak and along the way talk to female co-workers.

Now of course at 38 people still say I'm introverted but you know what? I don't give a crap, yeah I don't have any friends, I don't go out to parties, but basically I've realized I just don't like hanging out with people I find them a nuisance sometimes. If I'm working 40 hours a week dealing with customers I want the weekends all to myself, it makes perfect sense right?

That doesn't mean I'm a hermit and that I stay home all the time, sure I go out to the mall or to the movies I just don't like being accompanied by anybody.

And now with social media and smartphones practically everybody has their nose buried in their phones that nobody talks anymore so why should I start now?

I am not good at small talk unless I know a person well. i lead a very ordinary life with little or no "drama" so I really don't have anything very interesting to talk about. I am a good listener though. I know a couple of people who talk my ear off. I wonder how they can find so much to talk about!:confused:

If there's something that I notice that we have in common, I might mention it but other wise I just keep quiet. Sometimes the small talk works, sometimes not.

I do hate small talk...many people will bug me about if I can give them a cigarette, know when the next bus is coming, or anything.

I wish I could be like Greta Garbo's character in one of my favorite films Grand Hotel...

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I'm not good at small talk either, even my posts here are short. :D

As an introvert I really struggle with small talk!

It depends on my mood. Some days I'll talk to the person sitting next to me in a waiting room or something like that. Other days, I don't want to give someone the time of day although I'm always polite.

It depends on my mood. Some days I'll talk to the person sitting next to me in a waiting room or something like that. Other days, I don't want to give someone the time of day although I'm always polite.


Me too!! More times than not, I love small talk! :) I'm outgoing and can pretty much talk to anyone. :D If I'm not feeling well or really tired or something bad just happened I'm quieter , but if someone starts a conversation I politely will talk with them or just smile and nod and let them talk! :D

For me it depends on my mood, where I am and who I happen to be around. Certain places like the doctor's office or on public transit I don't want to be bothered.

When I want to start small talk w/ someone I find that cigarettes can be a great ice breaker. I would offer to light a person's cigarette or give them one outside of a bar/club and it sort of flows from there.

I am far better talking with total strangers than people I know. With people I know, "It"s How are you?, Where are you working? and What have you been doing for enjoyment"? I have heard those questions since kindergarden, except saying where are you working, it was how is school.
With strangers, they don;t know who I am, so I talked about how they happen to live here, things in the news, tv programs, what they like about the area. With people I know it the same 3 questions, over and over.

I think it helps if you give the other person a compliment or notice something he or she likes. Don't say you like stuff if you don't because it comes off phoney and the person might think you're trying to be funny. But, most of the time if I say, "I like your shoes" or "How long have you been a ____ fan?" the other person says "Thanks" and launches into a little story. Then all you have to do is nod and say "Really?" and maybe ask a followup question.

On a serious note - After you turn 30 (maybe even younger), if you run into someone that you haven't seen in awhile, don't ask them about their parents. They may have recently passed away or be very ill and you may hit a raw nerve. Instead say, "How's the family?" That way the person has the choice of just saying "fine" or going into greater detail. That's never happened to me, but I know someone who burst into tears after being asked about a parent.

I really struggle with small talk at work when I am around someone who I normally don't talk to and we end up in the elevator together, subway together, crossing paths down the hall, or at the copy machine.I understand buddy.....

I find myself getting less and less friendly also with how mean the world is now........ Its very sad :(


Dont blame ya 1 bit!!

I understand buddy.....

I find myself getting less and less friendly also with how mean the world is now........ Its very sad :(


Dont blame ya 1 bit!!


Are you banned from City-Data or suspended?

I dunno.....He blocked me 10 days and I was arguing with YAK in PMs and he wouldnt do anything. He said "I cant help you if you deserved it"

YA RIGHT.... I DESERVE BEING TREATED LIKE CRAP FOR NO REASON??


I just left,havent been back in 4 days or so...... I am under alot of stress as it is,i dont need mean people like that making it worse....

I dunno.....He blocked me 10 days and I was arguing with YAK in PMs and he wouldnt do anything. He said "I cant help you if you deserved it"

YA RIGHT.... I DESERVE BEING TREATED LIKE CRAP FOR NO REASON??


I just left,havent been back in 4 days or so...... I am under alot of stress as it is,i dont need mean people like that making it worse....

Well it could be worse, you could be 90 days like they gave me last year. Lol

Ya I guess but why do they seem not to care what thier staff members do to people??

I dunno.........Its sad,sad the co-admins wont do anything even with something as stupid as this!! (It wasnt any violation or anything) All i did was PM Poncho asking him what was wrong..... (I figured he was in a bad mood)


I dunno..........

Ya I guess but why do they seem not to care what thier staff memebrs do to people??

I dunno.........Its sad,sad the co-admins wont do anything even with something as stupid as this!! (It wasnt any violation or anything) All i did was PM Poncho asking him what was wrong..... (I figured he was in a bad mood)


I dunno..........


Its a member on there who can follow me from board to board and harass me and when I report her...............NOTHING HAPPENS

As soon as I respond to her.......I get an infraction for 3 days


So I figured she is part owner of the site and just decided to ignore her because it's a losing battle lol

Ya it shows how mean people are now.... I mean you dont deserve that FBJ,your a good person!! (I guess the internet depicts reality 100%)

I once joined a sports message board and right away everyone was accusing me of being someone else -- a previous poster who just got banned. It seemed like I had no way of proving I didn't know WTF they were talking about.

Some sites are just not worth the frustration.

I am not one for small talk. I freeze up and don't know what to say which often results in awkward silence. That and the fact I find small talk pointless.

However, once you bring up a topic I know a lot about, I can talk for hours