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http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/07/AR2008020703712.html...
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The Art of Small Talk
Does Idle Chatter Matter? More Than You May Think.

es! It's frigid!

Makes me wistful for spring.

Me, too. I love warm weather.

Well, duh. Who doesn't? But any kind of weather, even the worst of it,
has an upside: conversation fodder.

In a town that's stereotyped for talking big, are we equally
loquacious in matters of small talk? Call it what you will --
chitchat, idle banter, cocktail party conversation -- small talk is
ubiquitous. It's a staple of happy hours, sure, but it's also invoked
in queues, on chairlifts and airplanes, in job interviews and at
networking functions. It's a necessary step toward talking a bigger
game.