Part One: Warm Up
Discuss the questions with your partner(s).
- If someone wants to make small talk with you, how do you feel? Are you happy to talk with them?
- Do you ever hide from people you know in public so you don’t have to make small talk?
- If your culture has small talk, what can you talk about?
Part Two: Getting Ready to Speak
In this lesson, you are going to learn about and practise making small talk in English.
Open the exercise and follow the instructions.
Exercise
Part Three: Your Turn
Roleplay each situation with your partner. Make small talk using the situations. Use expressions and information from this lesson for opening the conversation, talking about appropriate small talk topics, leave-taking, and closing the conversation.
Teacher's Note
Before the students start roleplaying, elicit whether each situation needs formal, informal, or neutral language (1 = neutral, 2 = formal, 3 = informal). Then, model situation 1 with a strong student.
- You are on the bus on your way to a party and see someone you know (but not very well) get onto the bus. They are also going to the party. They come and sit beside you. (neutral)
- You are meeting a new neighbour for the first time in the lobby of your apartment building. They have just moved into the building and live on your floor. (formal)
- You arrive late to a neighbourhood picnic. You see your next-door neighbour who you are good friends with and go over to talk to them. (informal)
- You get onto a bus to go to a party and see someone you know but not very well. They are also going to the party. You go and sit beside them. (neutral)
- You are meeting a new neighbour for the first time in the lobby of your new apartment building. You have just moved into the building and live on their floor. (formal)
- You are at a neighborhood picnic. Your next-door neighbour who you are good friends with arrives late and comes over to talk to you. (informal)