How To Avoid Small Talk: 51+ Proven Ways

Small talk has always been popular when it comes to engaging in casual conversation. However, some people do not like small talk and are not particularly good at it. Here are a few tips to avoid small talk, for you to follow the next time you wish to escape this small talk nightmare.

Here are tips to avoid small talk. 

Be unapproachable– When you are approachable, no one can make a move on you and engage in small talk. An easy way to be unapproachable is to seclude yourself from the crowd when you feel like there is going to be a lot of small talk. 

Be super confident– Be super confident and come across as a person that does not believe in small talk and is up for only meaningful chats. When you look confident and carry yourself like that, you will not be bothered with any kind of small talk. 

Get straight to the point– Do not waste your time and whenever in a conversation, jump straight to the point leaving no room for any kind of small talk. Be very careful not to come across as rude and make sure to let others know that you are a man of few words. 

Do not engage with groups– Do not engage in a conversation with a group. Too many chooks indeed spoil the broth and you would have to face some small talk. Everyone wants to say something but not everyone has something worthwhile to say and has to stick to small talk. 

Do more meaningful conversations– Exercise more meaningful conversations and pick up topics that would draw people in and keep them interested to have meaningful conversations. It is an art to be able to have a good conversation and you need to learn it fast. 

Be around people who know you– Surround yourself more with familiar faces who know about the kind of person that you are and who are well aware of the fact that you do not enjoy small talk at all. They will make your life a lot easier. 

Say that you are busy– The easiest way to avoid small talk is to politely take leave from the whole discussion and excuse yourself by saying that there is somewhere else that you need to be. Nothing to feel bad about. 

Fake a phone call– Excuse yourself from the place by saying that there is an urgent phone call and you have to take it. They surely will not mind and you can easily escape from the entire small talk situation and feel better about yourself. 

Do not show interest– Do not show much interest in the small talk that is going on as it would give them the wrong message. If you look interested during small talk, people will have this notion that you very much enjoy it and they might even approach you later on. 

Do not make eye contact– Avoid any kind of eye contact when you are caught in a situation where you must engage in some small talk. Keep the eye contact and your participation to a minimum and they would not mind letting you go. 

Ask meaningful questions– Start asking meaningful questions when the small talk is going on to take it in a new direction and give it a new narrative. When people seriously begin to take an interest, the small talk turns into a good conversation. 

Be strongly opinionated– Have strong and stern opinions and do not shy away from expressing them. Bold opinions and small talk do not jam well with each other and a person like that will never be bothered by any kind of small talk. 

Grab a drink– Grab a drink and listen to what others have to say. Having a drink in your hand reduces the probability of people coming to you for some talk and even if they do, you can just hide behind your glass and keep taking small sips. 

Ask them about themselves– For the people who enjoy small talk, try and ask them about themselves and what stories they have to tell. When you show genuine interest in what they have to say, they try and keep the small talk away. 

Talk about your interests– Talk about common interests that drive and motivate both of you or even the entire group. Your interests are what will form the base of a good conversation and that is what is going to keep the small talk at bay. 

Talk about topics like sports or politics– Talk about hot topics like sports or politics that have something exciting going on almost all the time. When the excitement in the room is high, everyone would be drawn in and small talk would be driven out. 

Criticize small talk– Criticize small talk in front of the people who enjoy it and practice it all the time. Deep down, all of us know that it is just a time killer and is a defense mechanism for people who have nothing much to say, let them know you are not one of them.  

Take a break– Take a break from the people, the group, or the entire room when you think that the small talk is getting out of hand and you can’t handle it. Take a break from that atmosphere and get some fresh air. 

Tell them your stories– Tell them your stories, your past incidents, and everything that motivates you to get up and keep going in the morning. Draw them in with all the exciting things happening and happened in your life. 

Encourage them to talk about important things– Motivate them to talk about things that are important to you and the next person. It could be anything from your career, your family to maybe even a pet that you hold close to your heart. 

Discuss social issues– Discuss social issues that have been going on in recent times and your take on them. Social issues always bring out the truth and reality of what a person is really like and when you do so, there will be no small talk. 

Talk about literature– Talk about the most beautiful thing that humanity has ever known, literature. Literature has just so many faces, so many colors that a single book has the power to change millions of lives. 

Introduce pop culture to the discussion– Pop culture, or as the kids call it, the new normal is what not only keeps the small talk away but also keeps the discussion fun, interesting, and light-hearted. Talk about your Batman. 

Have a few lines prepared– Have a few tried and tested lines ready at the back of your hands to save you from any unforeseen small talk attack and would help you escape from any such situation. Have them memorized. 

Talk about things that they find amusing– Who does not like a good laugh? Make them laugh by cracking a joke or even narrating a funny incident and the moment the first wave of laughter comes in, the small talk will be taken care of. 

Talk about music– Music is the language of the universe and when it comes to taste in music, even the most humble of people are always too proud of what they love to listen to. Discuss different genres, artists, and bands to stay away from the small talk. 

Bring moves into the picture– When it comes to movies, there has to be that one special movie that is close to a person’s heart, and whenever it comes up in a conversation, their eyes start sparkling on their own and they can’t stop talking about it. 

Avoid certain phrases– Avoid certain phrases like, what is going on, what have you been up to lately or the most common one, what’s up to refrain from any kind of uninvited and unappreciated small talk that you might find to be wasteful. 

Keep the weather away– Whenever talking to a friend or a colleague or even an entire group, the easiest way to fall for a small talk trap is to talk about the most general thing and that is the weather. You must neither ask about the weather nor report the conditions. 

Do not assume anything– Do not assume that the other person is interested in a chat or that the other person wants to have a small talk, find out for yourself and then decide whether you would like to continue the conversation or keep going. 

Do not be forceful– Do not force others to accept your opinion or believe in your perception while looking to avoid small talk. Some people just want to kill time and are not worth the time and energy that you will spend explaining things. 

Be very open-minded– Be very open-minded before they start a conversation or even you do. Even if it turns out to be a round of some worthless small talk, you have learned something. You learn what not to do the next time. 

Tell them something slightly personal– When you tell them about something slightly personal, the conversation automatically turns into something interesting from some boring small talk that you wanted to avoid. 

Talk about current affairs– Talk about what has been going on around your place or the area or even the country. Discuss all the major events that might not have caught everyone’s attention but are very important for everyone to know. 

Discuss their skills and hobbies– Discuss the various skills and hobbies that the other person may be interested in or possesses. When you talk about something that the other person is passionate about, they feel no need for any small talk. 

Talk about current and future projects– Have a conversation about the projects that you or the other person might be working on right now. Give them feedback or ask about their progress to keep them engaged in a productive conversation. 

Be a good narrator– Above everything, learn how to be a good narrator and you would never have to worry about small talk ever in your life. Everyone enjoys a well-told story and if you master this art, you would always have interesting stories to blow everyone away. 

Be a great listener– Other than being a good talker, be a great listener. When people feel like you are someone who listens well, they will be more willing to tell you the things that they actually care about instead of some stupid small talk. 

Do not be selfish– Do not be selfish and expect people to just get rid of any kind of small talk. The truth is people enjoy small talk and they will continue doing it for as long as they do not find something interesting to talk about. 

Try to ignite a spark– Try to light up a spark in a typically boring small talk by bringing in some spice or something interesting into the conversation and leaning them on to participate. When you make things interesting, there is no need for small talk. 

There is no manual– Understand that there is no manual to avoid small talk and that you will fail, you will embarrass yourself and might even get awkward at times. However, if you keep trying, you will eventually get better at ignoring it. 

Improvise– You can imagine and play out the whole situation in your head as many times as you like but when it comes to the real scene, you need to improvise at the moment and have to make sure that you avoid the small talk without being too rude or embarrassing yourself. 

Do not be scared– Do not be scared to offend a few people when you try to avoid some small talk. Most people enjoy it and they do not gel well with the people that do not. You might have to pick and choose the right kind of people. 

Be prepared to be awkward– Be ready to face some awkwardness and just keep standing and bearing it till people finally decide to put you out of your misery. It is a part of the process and after a point of time, things like that will stop mattering. 

Being silly is alright– Understand that it is completely alright to be silly and make excuses that make no sense when trying to bail out of a situation. These are the unspoken rules that everyone understands and you should not feel weird about it. 

Talk facts– The best and most accurate way to stay away from any kind of small talk is to talk about facts and give them accurate figures backed by proper research and experimentation. Be well-read and well informed and you would not have to worry about small talk. 

Make the conversation serious– To take the conversation away from small talk, add a serious note to it and everyone would understand the gravity of the situation. Once it sinks in, everyone would forget about the whole small talk thing. 

Crack a joke or two– Crack a joke once in a while to change things up a bit and make the atmosphere lighter. When everyone is in good spirits and enjoying a good laugh, you would not want to avoid what is going on. 

Talk art– Talking about art is one of the easiest tricks to turn some small talk into something interesting and turn it into an interesting direction. Talk about your favorite painters, poetry, and anything that would tingle their artistic senses. 

Ask them for advice– Ask them for some advice on something important to you and you really care about. When they feel important and valuable, they would shower you with all the right advice and positivity in the world. 

Talk about career and opportunities– Talk about your career, how you have reached there, and the opportunities that lie ahead of you. Ask them about the same things and listen closely to what they have to say. 

Make an excuse– Make any excuse that you can think of at that moment and do not think about it too much. Anything that flashes in your head, does not need to be anything full proof or concrete, they probably know that you don’t enjoy small talk. Take your leave politely. 

Go to the loo– If nothing works out and even no excuses come to your head, you can always use rule number one for avoiding small talk by making the classic washroom excuse and escape from that situation. 

Have a sense of humor– Develop a sense of humor that will not only make the room lighter and make you feel better, but it is also a great defense mechanism when you do not like the place and people that you are in and with respectively. 

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