Hello, everyone. Today I'm going to talk about small talk--that is, short conversations people often have with strangers they meet,
大家好,今天我要说说闲聊,也就是人们经常和陌生人进行的简短交谈,
such exchanges occurring at bus stops, on buses, on a waiting line, almost anywhere that strangers gather close together.
这种交谈发生在公共汽车站、公共汽车上、候车线处,几乎任何陌生人聚集在一起的地方。
As a matter of fact, these short conversations are a good way for people to say hello and express friendliness.
事实上,这些简短的对话是人们打招呼和表达友好的好方法。
Such conversations usually cover a wide range of topics.
这种谈话通常涉及广泛的话题。
The topics include weather, customer service, movies, TV shows, local sports or latest news.
包括天气、客户服务、电影、电视节目、当地体育赛事或最新新闻等话题。
But you should always keep it in your mind that private questions about salaries,
但你要时刻牢记,在交谈中应避免谈论关于薪水、
family life, religious beliefs and politics should be avoided during these conversations.
家庭生活、宗教信仰和政治等私人问题。
Besides, it's better to ask open-ended questions.
另外,最好询问开放式的问题。
If you ask visitors "Do you like our city? "
如果你问游客“你喜欢我们的城市吗?”
They may say simply "Yes ".
他们可能简单地说“喜欢”。
On the other hand, if you ask, "What do you think of our city? "
但如果你问,“你觉得我们的城市怎么样?”
They would have more freedom to answer it.
他们会有更多的自由回答这个问题。
This kind of question also shows that you're interested in them.
这种问题也表明你对他们感兴趣。
If you appear interested in what people are saying, they feel more comfortable talking with you.
如果你对别人说的话感兴趣,他们会觉得和你说话更自在。