Tillmann Prüfer is a member of the editor-in-chief of “Zeit-Magazin”.
US businesses lose $1.5 billion every year through small talk. I read this news in the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”. According to this, US workers would squander 118 minutes a day just like that: with conversations about the weather, illnesses and television programs. This would lead to massive losses. 118 minutes a day!
If these numbers are to be trusted, it seems that Americans’ real talent lies in seemingly aimless talking. How can you talk about a series you watched last night longer than the series itself lasts? This statistic also punishes all those lies who complain about the alleged speechlessness of society. Because hunching over screens all day doesn’t seem to mean we have less to say to each other.
I read that so-called small talk is very important for your career. He creates a pleasant working atmosphere. People who don’t know how to make small talk and instead tend to engage in deep talk or stubborn silence are recommended to properly prepare for daily small talk.
So plowing through the daily news for easy topics of conversation, such as soccer results or TV events. So that you are prepared no matter who you might meet. It is also recommended to practice small talk, preferably with people who cannot dismiss you, such as on the train or in a café.
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It should also be important to avoid everything that is difficult: topics that revolve around the body, such as illnesses, private problems, negative things about colleagues and especially about superiors. You should listen to the other person and occasionally smile and maintain eye contact. People gossip a lot more than they do anything else, in fact it accounts for about 60 percent of human communication, it’s the social cement of society.
>> Read about this: Small talk as a career booster: These sentences will get you talking
So if employees just went to work and stopped talking to each other about things other than work, they would feel unsafe and lose confidence in their co-workers. And identification with the workplace, as we know, is as good as priceless these days. Anyway, $1.5 billion is well invested in it.
And maybe the US employees talk about other things beyond those almost two hours of small talk. For example, about the company’s current projects and the progress they are making. Although – there is probably no time left for that.
More: Juggling lemons and eating nuts – five tips for living longer