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An Introduction to... Small Talk Research & Application. Chris Shuttleworth OUGD505
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Small Talk Small talk is often passed off as ‘that awkward encounter with somebody that you hardly know and just have to say something to fill the silence.’ I would have to agree with this, however I when looked at from a different perspective small talk is a gateway into amazing friendships, oppurtunities and interesting stories. Sadly, this is becoming a thing of the past due to everybodys addiction to their phones and socialising online forcing them to become afraid, and useless, at standard human conversation with a stranger. Small talk is an art that can be mastered, it just
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takes a bit of practice and confidence and anybody can pick it up. It is not only a tool to break silences, if introduced to the right people new job oppurtunities can arrise, new career paths can be made etc. This project will look into how we can introduce basic social interaction back into society with less ‘awkwardness’ and embarrassment.
“You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years trying to get other people interested in you.� Dale Carnegie
“Small talk is an informal type of discourse that does not cover any functional topics of conversation or any transactions that need to be addressed.� The most common topic for small talk, in England, is the weather. This is something that every one of us has in common, regardless of political ideals or religious beliefs we can all agree that the weather is (usually) terrible or (rarely) amazing.
The most effective small talk is location specific because this is something that the two participants instantly have in common and can relate to.
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This changes depending on location, In Asia it is common to talk about each others families, in many European countires it is common to talk about politics and economics but personal finance is considered taboo.
“There is so much snow for March! I’m sure it was sunny this time last year?�
Method & Practice Listen more than you talk Show interest in the person and keep eye contact Prepare topics beforehand that are popular and current
Read body language to gauge if the topic needs to change Be confident and welcoming
“Your words may be forgotten, but how you make people feel will be remembered.� Think of yourself as the host rather than the guest and be the first to say hello Be the first to instigate a handshake rather than both of you awkwardly not knowing if you should shake hands
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Assess the environment and use it for conversation if you get stuck
Challenge yourself to start a conversation and keep it going
“Hello, how are you?” “I’m fine thanks, and yourself?” “Yeah I’m good! lovely weather we are having isn’t it?” “Best we’ve had in a while, have you got anything nice planned for the weekend?” “Not yet, but I’ll hopefully get up to something, it would be a shame to miss the weather” “True, I’ve heard it’s supposed to be snowing again on Monday” “Bleeding hell, it’s snowing every other week” “Ha! it is isn’t it! might be worth investing in a sledge” “I think you’re onto something there! Anyway I’d best be off, see you later!” “See you soon!” 7
Concept We want to bring the art of small talk with new people back into the world. Simply making a guide or a poster that gives bits of advice about conversation starters or ice breakers may be funny for while but wouldn’t push the audience to become more socially awesome.
The most comfortable environment for engaging with small talk is in a pub or a bar as this is a relaxed environment and a bit of beer enhances confidence.
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“To encourage conversation and networking among people.”
We want a bar that is designed to encourage conversation and networking among people. Our audience is young professionals and third year University students that are building their contacts and are serious about meeting potential clients/ employers in their relative fields.
The environment should be lighthearted and relaxed and feature graphic products that promotes interacting with people. You must design the visual identity of the bar along with interior design and ‘feel’. This will cover: menus, signage, posters, t-shirts and promotion of the venue.
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ama's The most integral part to starting small talk and building a relationship is to have something in common. Something that has recently become popular online are ‘Ask Me Anything’s’ where celebrities or influential people answer whatever questions you can throw at them. People such as Bill Gates and Dave Grohl have done them that turned out to be very popular:
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Our venue will host evenings that are dedicated to a particular profession or topic. Customers can request professionals via Twitter and Facebook pages and the ones that get the biggest response will be contacted. We will get a respected member of that field to, either be projected in the venue using Skype and answering questions that the customers ask, or they can reply via text (like the AMA’s) and the customers can submit through touch screens on the tables. This will bring in customers that all share something in common, it will also allow them to ask people they look up to questions in a relaxed and social environment. This will allow productive networking that is industry specific it can also be a gateway for educated and intellectual conversation.
“Having something in common is the oil of a good conversation”
Aesthetic Approach The following pages illustrate the desired visual identity of the venue, these can be used for insipration and reference when designing.
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Bold and colourful vectors and humanist, decorative typography will aid creating a relaxed and comfortable environment.
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Environment
The branding should not just consist of the logo on multiple products but feature purpose made installations and posters etc. The environment should be contemporary but relaxed and comfortable. Designing for a traditional pub layout with concealed areas- rather than an open plan bar will make the customers feel more at ease.
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Everything begins with small talk.
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