Chit-Chat, this and that

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As human beings we have to communicate. Many of our communications are about expressing a need, as when an infant for example cries because he’s hungry, or when we tell a cabdriver where to take us. At other times we communicate when our needs or wants are different from those of the other, and these communications can turn easily into an argument. Only 7% of our communication consists of words, the rest is body language, tone of voice and facial expression. That’s what makes small talk so intriguing. Usually we have an agenda, as expressed above. In small talk or conversation, WHAT we say is of little importance, HOW we say it is all that counts. We want to present ourselves and get to know the other, get a ‘feel’ for each other. And I for one, even though I understand the ‘why’ of it, have a very, very difficult time with it. It’s almost impossible for me to talk to somebody unless I have an agenda. Or there is at least a topic that NEEDS to be dealt with. But spending hours at a dinner party, a reception or the like and just talk what is for me, on an emotional level, senseless stuff, I can’t do it. Funny thing, though, is that as a language teacher I’ve spend literally thousands of hours with students at an intermediate or advanced level, giving German or English conversation classes and where we covered literally every possible subject under the sun, religion, politics, you name it. But see, there was an objective to it. So how about you? How easy or difficult is it for you to engage in small talk, make polite conversation? Do you enjoy it, just put up with it because you have to, or do you run from it like I do?