1. Introductions自我介紹

Before you can get to know someone, it’s a good idea to introduce yourself.在你認(rèn)識某個人之前， 自我介紹是個好辦法。

You can introduce yourself to anyone you don’t know, or to remind someone you’ve met before who might have forgotten you. When you’re introducing yourself, you can add a little bit of information like where you first met, or what you do. You can even use your English learning as a conversation starter.你可以向不認(rèn)識你的人做自我介紹，或者提醒某些你之前見過但是已經(jīng)忘記自己的人。當(dāng)你在自我介紹時，你可以加一些之前在哪里見過或者你的職業(yè)之類的信息。你甚至可以用英語學(xué)習(xí)作為談話的開篇。

例句：

“Good morning! We always have coffee at the same time but we’ve never spoken before. My name is [Your Name].”“早上好！我們總是同時喝咖啡，但是我們之前從沒說過話。我的名字是……?！?/p>

“Hello, how are you today? My name is [Your Name]. I’m still learning English so please let me know if I make any mistakes.”“你好，今天怎么樣？我的名字是……我還在學(xué)英語，所以如果我犯錯了請讓我知道?！?/p>

“Hi Angela. You might not remember me but we met at Tom’s Christmas party last year. I’m [Your Name].”“你好，安吉拉。你可能不記得我了但是我們?nèi)ツ暝跍返氖フQ聚會上見過。我是……”

2. Universal Topics通用的話題

Topics that are universal can be shared by almost anyone.通用話題幾乎可以被任何人分享。

Things like the weather, current news, sports and entertainment are usually safe conversation starters, especially when you’re speaking to a group—even if one person doesn’t really watch sports, someone else in the group might.像天氣、時事、體育和娛樂之類的事情通常是安全的談話開端，特別是當(dāng)你和一群人談話時——即使一個人真的不看體育，其他人或許會。

Although these topics are talked about by many, some people might not be fans of sports, or might not follow entertainment news, so if you can, try to match people’s interests to the topic you choose. For example, if you’ve heard them talking about big news stories in the past, you could try to talk about a news story from today.盡管這些話題被許多人討論過，一些人可能不是體育迷，或許不關(guān)注娛樂新聞，所以如果你可以，盡量將這些人的興趣和你選擇的話題結(jié)合起來。比如，如果過去你聽過他們談?wù)摯笮侣?，你可以試著講一個當(dāng)下的新聞故事。

例句：

“Did you watch the Oscars last week? I can’t believe Leonardo DiCaprio finally won one!”“你看上周的奧斯卡了嗎？我不能相信萊昂納多·迪卡普里奧終于贏了一座小金人！”

“This weather is crazy! It was cold yesterday and today I came in with an open jacket. I hope it stays warm, don’t you?”“這個天氣太瘋狂了。昨天很冷，今天我穿著開懷的夾克進(jìn)來。我希望天氣能暖和，你呢？“

“That basketball game yesterday had me glued to my seat. Wasn’t that a great save at the very end?”“昨天的棒球賽太有吸引力了。最后的那記撲救不是很棒嗎？”

3. The Day當(dāng)天的情況

If you’re not sure what topic to talk about, or don’t have anything interesting to say, you can just ask someone about their day, or you can talk about yours.如果你不確定討論什么話題，或者沒有什么趣事要說，你可以問問別人當(dāng)天怎么樣，或者你可以說說自己的一天。

例如，你可以問他們：

How was your day? / How has your day been so far?你今天怎么樣？

How have you been feeling today?今天感覺如何？

What have you been doing today?今天在忙些什么？

Has anything exciting happened today?今天有什么值得振奮的事情嗎？

What are you planning for after work?下班后打算做些什么？

Are you doing anything fun after work?下班后要做些有趣的事嗎？

You can also share information about your day and how you’re doing, but try to keep a balance of talking and listening, so you both get to speak the same amount (and you’re not just talking about yourself the entire time).你也可以分享一天的信息和你如何做事的，但是盡量保持講話和聆聽的平衡，所以你說同樣多的話（而且整個過程不要一直討論自己）。

Even if the person looks like they’ve been having a bad day, you can make it brighter just by making small talk! Make sure not to ask questions that are too personal, and instead offer some nice words of encouragement.即使這個人看起來當(dāng)天過得很糟糕，你可以用一個小談話使它明亮起來。一定不要問太私人的問題，而是說一些悅耳的鼓勵。

例句：

“Hey there. You look like you’re having a rough day. I hope it gets better for you.”“你好，看起來你今天比較辛苦，我希望一切能好起來?！?/p>

“Good morning! I went camping on Saturday, and of course it rained all day. Was your weekend any better?”“早上好！我周六去野營，下了一整天的雨。你的周末好嗎？”

“The day is almost over! Do you have any interesting plans for the evening?”“今天就要結(jié)束了！晚上有什么有趣的計劃嗎？”

4. The Workplace工作地點

Some conversations are only appropriate in a work environment.有些談話只適合在工作環(huán)境里進(jìn)行。

Stay even less personal at work than in more casual places, and avoid gossiping (talking about other people who are not present)! Instead, you can talk about the day, an upcoming party or meeting, or ask about the person’s job. 比起更舒服隨意的地方，工作上盡量少涉及私人話題，避免八卦（討論不在場的其他人）！相反，你可以討論某一天，一場即將到來的聚會或會議，或者問這個人的工作。

例句：

“Hi Tom. How are things going over at the IT department today?”“你好湯姆，今天在IT部門進(jìn)展順利嗎？”

“Good morning. I’m really looking forward to the party after work today. I hear Pam brought her famous carrot cake!”“早上好。我好期待今天下班后的聚會。我聽說Pam帶了她最出名的胡蘿卜蛋糕！”

“What a busy day. This is the first time I’ve gotten up from my seat all day! Are you busy too?”“好忙的一天。這是我今天第一次從座位上站起來！你也很忙嗎？”

5. Observations觀察

Some of the best small talk is about where you and your conversation partner are located.一些很好的談話是關(guān)于你和談話對象所處的地方。

It’s something you both share, so there’s no worry that they won’t know what you’re talking about. Look around and find something to comment on, or look at your partner and find something nice to compliment them on. Nothing makes people feel better than a genuine compliment!是你們共有的事情，所以不要擔(dān)心他們不知道你討論的是什么。環(huán)顧四周，尋找一些可以評論的事情，或者看著你的同伴，找一些可以稱贊的好地方。沒有什么比一句真誠的稱贊能讓人感覺更棒。

例句：

“I love your shoes today, they really pull your outfit together.”“我喜歡你今天的鞋子，它們真的很配你的套裝?！?/p>

“Did you see? They finally fixed the light in the break room. It’s been broken for almost a month!”“你看到了嗎？他們最后修好了休息室的燈。已經(jīng)壞了快一個月了！”

“Hey Pam, your cookies last night were delicious! Thank you for making them for the party.”“你好Pam，你昨晚的曲奇太好吃了！感謝你為聚會準(zhǔn)備了餅干?！?/p>

6. Common Interests共同的興趣

When you have something similar with your speaking partner, that means you have something to talk about. Find a mutual friend (a friend you both know) or a common interest or hobby, and you’ll have something to talk about.當(dāng)你和你的談話對象有相似之處，那意味著你們有話可聊。發(fā)現(xiàn)一個共同的朋友（一個你們都認(rèn)識的朋友）或者一個共同的興趣或愛好，你們會有很多可聊的事情。

Keep in mind that English speakers rarely actually say the word “hobby,” so asking “What are your hobbies?” sounds strange and unnatural. Try asking questions instead, based on observations.記住說英語的人實際上很少說“愛好”這個詞，所以問“你的愛好是什么？”聽起來奇怪而且不自然。試著根據(jù)你的觀察換一些問題詢問。

例句：

“My cousin mentioned you last night. I didn’t know you knew her! Where did you meet?”“我的侄女昨晚提到你了。我不知道你認(rèn)識她！你們在哪兒見面的？”

“I noticed your hat has a Yankees logo. Are you a fan of baseball too?”“我注意到你的帽子上有一個洋基隊的標(biāo)志。你也是棒球迷嗎？”

“I tried baking cookies like yours last night and they came out terrible. How do you make them so good?”“我昨晚試著學(xué)做你做的曲奇，但味道很糟。你是怎么做得如此好吃？”

7. Questions提問題

You might have noticed by now that most of these small talk examples have something in common: They ask questions. A good way to start a conversation is to make a comment, then ask a question. This keeps the conversation from ending on your comment (and making things even more awkward!).你現(xiàn)在或許已經(jīng)注意到這些小談話的例子都有共同之處：它們都是問問題。一個開始談話的好方式是評論，然后問問題。這避免談話最后以你的評論做結(jié)尾（會把事情弄得更尷尬?。?/p>

When asking questions, listen as much as you talk, and don’t get too personal with your questions. And remember to keep things positive!問問題的時候，像你說話那樣多聽。不要問太私人的問題，而且記住使事情積極向上！

例句：

“Hey, I heard you were thinking of adopting a new dog. Did you find one?”“嘿，我聽說你在考慮收養(yǎng)一條狗。你找到了嗎？”

“I’ve been meaning to ask you this for a while: how long have you been working here?”“我正打算問你呢：你在這兒工作多久了？”

“Your hair always looks great. What hair products do you use?”“你的發(fā)型總是看起來很棒。你用什么護(hù)發(fā)產(chǎn)品？”

The next time you’re standing with someone and no one is speaking, you know what to do!下次你和別人站在一起，又沒人講話的時候，你知道該怎么做了！