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Hairdressers Are The Best At It And Airport Staff Are The Worst…

New research reveals just how much Brits love small talk. With 89% of us engaging in it with strangers at least once a week, it is no surprise that 56% say that it brightens up the day.
Lifestyle - 29 April 2010   Download IconContent available for download:  
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  News Hooks:

New research reveals just how much Brits love small talk as 89% of us admit to engaging in it with strangers at least once a week. 56% say that it brightens our day and wherever we’re from, we consider ourselves the best at it.

Despite people chatting more openly online and feeling funnier online (40%), the most common place to strike up a conversation with a stranger is in a queue (35.4%) and men are almost three times more likely to make small talk in a bar than women. Our small talk has brought about romance for 15% of people and a further 5% say it has led to marriage.

Mums beat the rest of the family at story-telling (28.3%) but when it comes to general topics of conversation, 29% of us are more interested in talking about the weather than the upcoming election (9%).

. Introduction:

We Brits have often been ridiculed for our obsession with talking about the weather and new research suggests that this is not only true but that we’re also passionate about small talk itself. It brightens our day to chat with strangers in a queue and wherever we’re from, we consider our local region better at small talk than the rest of the country. Hairdressers are the best at it and airport staff are the worst but we all apparently love small talk, so much so that 15% of us have found love through it and 5% are married because of it.

Why are Brits so in passionate about small talk?

Joining us in the studio is author of ‘The Art Of Conversation’, former gossip columnist and journalist, Catherine Blyth.

. Suggested Questions:

How do people in our area view small talk?

Why do you think small talk brightens our day?

What are the best small talk topics?

Where are the best places to instigate small talk?

Are the rules for small talk the same online and in person?

Where can we find out more information?