In a recent article on the topic, management experts Bob Frisch and Cary Greene summed it up this way, The chitchat, the side conversations that lift emotions and promote well-being is one way we strengthen and deepen relationships and is critical to building high performing teams. For these reasons, we encourage all our UGM clients to explore a range of ways they can intentionally facilitate in a virtual format those informal interactions that often arise spontaneously among colleagues who used to be face-to-face in the office every day. Australia is shockingly expensive. Many people suggest that footy talk is a good option at an interview, which is probably true. Despite the "give it a go" image, I'm always surprised that we tend to reward safe-playing mediocrity when we should be hugely more optimistic and competitive as a nation. Published December 9, 2021 in Teamwork Dominic Price Work Futurist 5-second summary Feeling connected to your colleagues isn't about high-fives at the office. Discover Why and What It Requires. The results of the earlier study apparently reflected the strong positive effect that meaningful conversation has on happiness rather than any negative effects of small talk. Before Covid-19 and social distancing, small talk was a daily workplace ritual for most of us. Devices down The first step to making small talk is to put your devices away. (Supplied: Suvi Selenge) Life's wish. With practice, you will feel more confident that what you say will be received the way you intend. Your ability to fit it can have a major influence on your career progression or whether you win that job interview. You didnt usually go into your next meeting without the social lubricant of small talk first. I use it all the time. Key Differences Between Australian, American and British Work Culture Im really looking forward to it. Conflicts with Coworkers 2. Good day! Humour can be good, if it comes easily for you. Thank you so much for sharing. Originally from Estonia, and having worked in Finland before coming to Australia, what surprised me is how similar Australia is compared to the Nordics in terms of mentality: quality over quantity; education and wellbeing are the highest priorities; and work-life balance is sacred. "Snitching" can be thought of as a form of "good gossip" that serves the interests of a group. "Aussies are social and enjoy small talk, both in the office and out, so it will help you relate if you can get comfortable with it as well. https://englishwithkim.com/small-talk-better-questions-keep-conversation-going/, https://englishwithkim.com/category/small-talk-in-english/, https://englishwithkim.com/category/intonation/, https://englishwithkim.com/office-small-talk-interesting-work-related-questions/, Why Youre Having Trouble Pronouncing Words in American English, Practice Stress Patterns to Predict How to Say New Words, Clearly Say New, Unfamiliar, and Tricky Words with Word Stress and Contrast, Fast Speech Shortcuts English Speakers Use to Speak Quickly and Efficiently, Intonation For Clear Communication Why Intonation Is So Important in American English, Communicate Clearly with Your Voice in American English, Stress and Thought Groups in American English, Communication Skills: Express Yourself Clearly. New online apps, such as Water Cooler, allow employees to pick a time to chat with coworkers about shared interests, hobbies, or fitness goals. And each night they reported their levels of well-being and prosocial behaviors. Hows yours going? This website has been so helpful. This morning has been pretty, but I like it that way. So, I dont talk. We definitely behave and speak differently around colleagues context is key to communicating well. I think one of the biggest differences is the out of work culture between London and Sydney. There are some cultural challenges that we face around being collaborative versus competitive, getting over our fear of failing and our ability to think big. Learning what is appropriate to say in certain situations will come with time, but you need to work at it and challenge yourself by stepping out of your social comfort zone. Sometimes I'm still surprised that we can speak the same language, and yet I've had conversations that have gone on for a few minutes before we've actually been able to communicate anything. In the UK, the working culture is more about getting the work done, heading home and living separate lives to your colleagues. What worked well when dealing with this challenge? If you feel uncomfortable with the subject matter, its probably a good idea to wait until the topic changes. And then nothing! But because of this, many Australians choose not to socialise after work. The resultsrevealed that small talk was both uplifting and distracting. I work as a receptionist on Fridays. Once your coworker has volunteered information about their romantic partner, its okay to ask polite, work-appropriate questions about that person. They reduce the uncertainty and sense of personal risk that any new behaviour initially carries, especially for those from under-represented groups. High-performance, remote teams thrive when there is a culture of trust and people share a common sense of purpose. Ive been focused on the presentation for my biggest client later this week. Keeping these cookies enabled helps us to improve our website and provide better resources. This was a side benefit of the face-to-face office. Our American friends found concepts such as workplace profanity, four weeks' annual leave, regular intra-office romantic liaisons and an open bar on Friday afternoons anathema to their own experiences. Women alienated from STEM careers by entrenched workplace cultures Use these 85 strategies and reflection questions to clarify your next steps. The smooth management of small talk is an important marker of successful integration into the organisation. "Small talk is not just a fluffy part of business - it has this real world outcome." "From a mental health perspective, anxiety and depression can be lessened through interaction with people and that sense of belonging and community," she says. To resolve these views, the authors did a 15-day study of the impact that small talk had on 151 workers. Brief, informal "small talk" conversations are essential in many aspects of life, including the workplace. By my afternoon they've all gone home and we can get our Monday started whilst America is still enjoying their weekend. To us Poms it felt like a, somewhat warmer, home away from home. It was at first refreshing and absolutely terrifying in equal measure. In Sydney they might say, the Roosters, for example.). If you are good, you will shine, if you are not well find another country, you'll be found out quickly here! Stick to the script. I moved from the UK to Australia eight years ago. It takes at least 15 minutes talking about sports or beer until someone finally says, "OK, so the deal we are here to talk about". A refresher on how to nail office small talk - The Sydney Morning Herald With a more senior colleague, you may want to use more polite language. Additionally, be alert for notes of stress and burnout in others. The Australian Tourism PR campaign works wonders on us Brits we see sun, beaches and a vibrant city. The biggest surprise for me was to learn how to navigate the business community here and build relationships. We asked how much small talk they made at work each day and about their positive emotions (friendliness, pride, and gratitude) and ability to focus. Create and practise interaction scripts that share common small talk routines and protocols. I am refusing to speak to her about anything non work related for fear of losing my job. For example, a manager may be persuaded of the wide range of advantages small talk will deliver to the team, but feel socially hesitant or uncertain. Managers should also steer teams away from potentially controversial topics like religion, politics, and romantic relationships. So, whats happening now when so many of our meetings are virtual and teams are operating remotely for much or all of the time? Once again, I encourage you to keep it positive, but you may be able to ask the other person for some help or some advice. Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor. If someone asks you the question, you can respond with, Im working on and mention how things are going. Drawing on our research, we offer managers and employees the following advice: Encourage new social rituals. As a Brit, who has spent many years living in the US, workplaces to me were often places where people tried to avoid confrontation; skating around awkward conversations and hiding behind emails. This is coming partly from working smarter, but also from taking more time than 12 years ago out of family and social time. People in business here are straight-talking. Small talk can help people disengage from the home role and ease into a business mindset. It's part of Australia's DNA and I see it reflected in our own business agile, diverse, innovative with speed to market as a key point of difference here and internationally. Shucking 600 oysters all in a day's work for Suvi Selenge as she - ABC There are companies likeSpark Collaborationthathelp employers organize office video-chat roulettes that pair up employees who dont already know one another for real-time social interactions. This topic is fraught with danger, as it is impossible to know exactly the context in which you will be attempting these ice-breakers. Here are some neutral topics that you can use to make small talk in the workplace: As you can see, there are a lot of potential topics, they just take practice. Once again, it shows youre forward thinking. To resolve these views, we surveyed 151 full-time working adults three times a day for 15 consecutive workdays before the pandemic. Small caps Aura Energy, IperionX chasing equity. They say it makes them anxious, spreads gossip, wastes time, and isinauthentic and awkward. This is a small but meaningful gesture in a world that's wholly connected over a digital network. The good news is that the virtual landscape presents a surprising opportunity to enhance the value of small talk. So if you can laugh at your own mistakes and give as good as you get, you'll be embraced into both professional and social life. Got any plans? Topics are open and can be shared by almost anyone. Self-identified cat people have more unusual personality traits than dog people. I have to say work is as equally social here as in London and NYC, but there's much more of a "work culture" in Australia. These brief, casual conversations are a great way to get to know new people, but they can be even more important in the workplace. Each new relationship enabled me to have more visibility.
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