Small Talk & Networking in English

What to actually say at the start of a call, at a conference, or in the elevator — the small, low-stakes English that native speakers use constantly and few textbooks teach.

Why small talk matters at work

In many English-speaking business cultures, a small amount of small talk before getting to business is expected, not wasted time. Starting a call by immediately diving into the agenda with zero warm-up can come across as cold, even if it feels efficient to you.

Safe topics, and ones to avoid

Safe: the weather, travel/commute ("Did you have a good trip in?"), a shared event (a conference, a holiday just passed), something light about work itself ("How's your week going so far?").

Best avoided with people you don't know well: politics, religion, salary, personal relationships, and health. These vary less by "English rules" and more by general professional norms, but they trip up learners specifically because the small-talk topics that are normal in their own culture (e.g. asking someone's age or marital status) can land very differently in an English-speaking business context.

Starting a call or meeting

Common openers before the agenda: "How's everyone doing today?" "Thanks for making time for this." "How was your weekend?" (Monday calls) "Can everyone hear me okay?" (a genuinely normal, expected line on video calls, not a sign of a tech problem.)

Exiting a conversation gracefully

You don't need a dramatic excuse to leave a conversation at an event. "It was great talking to you — I don't want to keep you, but let's connect on LinkedIn." "I should let you get back to it, but thanks for the chat." "I see someone I promised to catch up with — great meeting you!" are all normal, polite, and expected ways to move on.

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