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Hooks for Small Talks to Start a Meeting

Use these small talk hooks to build rapport, ease tensions, and set a positive tone for more effective meetings.

min read

Small talk is a valuable social skill, often underestimated but essential for building connections in professional and personal settings. As you settle into your meeting space, small talk serves as a crucial bridge between pre-meeting preparation and the main agenda. It helps create a relaxed atmosphere, builds rapport among participants, and eases everyone into the meeting mindset. This brief social interaction can significantly improve collaboration and open communication during the main discussion.

Different Hooks for Small Talk:

  1. Compliments: A genuine compliment is an easy way to open a conversation. It shows interest and can make the other person feel valued, helping to break the ice smoothly.
  2. Observational Comments: Mentioning something in your environment, such as the venue or an event, gives you common ground to build on. It's neutral and provides an organic conversation starter.
  3. Questions about Current Events: Asking about news or popular trends is another effective hook. It opens a conversation based on shared knowledge while keeping it light and non-intrusive.
  4. Mutual Connections: Bringing up a mutual friend or colleague provides immediate relatability, giving both parties something familiar to discuss.
  5. Open-ended Questions: Instead of yes/no queries, ask open-ended questions like, "What brought you to this event?" or "How's your week been so far?" or “Did you try that new cafe that’s opened up in the next block?” to encourage a more engaging dialogue.
  6. Some Good News (not work-related): Sharing positive news can set an upbeat tone for the meeting.

Remember, these small talk hooks are your secret weapons for kick-starting engaging meetings and building a good rapport. They're not just idle chatter but powerful tools to build connections, ease tensions, and set a positive tone. So, the next time you're about to dive into your agenda, take a moment to drop one of these conversation hooks. You might be surprised at how a little small talk can lead to big meeting success!

How can Feta help?

We understand that capturing the essence of deep, meaningful discussions can be challenging. Often, the most valuable insights are either inadequately recorded or lost entirely.

That’s why we are building the Feta - it helps product and engineering teams capture meeting context, automate tasks, and focus on high-impact work.

We are still in the early stages and rolling out access every day. If that sounds interesting, join the waitlist or fill out this form, and we’ll be in touch super soon.

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