![]() I went there once, and there was steam coming out of the ground it was so dirty.” That was her version of small talk. Every time I check-in, she goes, “Where are you from?” I’d tell her, “I live in Manhattan.” she’d say, “I hate New York. I often stayed at the same hotel, and a girl that worked there asked me every single time where I was from. Always take me out after work to check out the amazing food & beverages. (Or as my 7 year old says, “Saucesome.”) Very hospitable folk. I travel down to Austin a few times a year to help a corporate client. How to Nail Your Job Interview & Land Your Dream Job Uuuuuhhh…nothing…things are good…how about you? Here are 2 examples of awkward small talk. The conversation goes nowhere and there’s an awkward silence. Very often after these questions are answered you’ve reached an awkward brick wall. We don’t need the specs before we start to chat. You’re a plumber? Ba-bye!” Making conversation isn’t Tinder, folks. ![]() Unless you make your decisions about people based on that information. Where people are from & what they do are details that are best left for after you get to know someone a bit. So why do we keep asking? People have been asked that question countless times they have routine answers that bore even them when they tell the stories. Nobody wants to answer the questions “What do you do?” & “Where are you from?” Nobody does. Exactly the opposite of what everyone tells you, right? Mark Murphy is a New York Times bestselling author, founder of Leadership IQ and teaches the online course Leading A Remote Team. And once you get used to them, you’ll likely find that these virtual coffee chats and lunches become the highlights of your day. But these are weird times, and the best leaders are willing to experiment, try new things and step outside their comfort zones. You’ve got lots of other times throughout the day to discuss projects and deadlines save this time for connection.įor people used to traditional face-to-face office environments, both of these techniques will feel a bit weird. Virtual lunch breaks are here to help foster human connection and reduce the negative effects of isolation. The first few virtual lunch breaks are often a bit awkward for newer teams, especially as people get comfortable eating while they’re on a webcam. But within a few days, most people get into the swing of it and conversations flow naturally.Ī word of caution for bosses, however: Don’t be “the boss” on these calls, be a normal human being who wants to laugh, chat and eat their lunch. Unlike the coffee chats, there are no set conversation topics it’s literally just a group of people eating their lunches and engaging in normal lunch-time chatter. Second, have everyone who’s taking lunch at that time join a videoconference. So do this instead: First, pick a standard lunch break time (or two or three different times scattered throughout the day). However, employees working from home (not to mention social-distancing) makes a physical break-room or cafeteria useless. Not only does it provide culture-building, information sharing and a time to recharge mentally and physically, it’s a great tool for human connection. Just like chatting over coffee is an omnipresent ritual in company offices, so too is the lunch break. But by mandating the activity, you eliminate the awkwardness of taking the first step because everyone is operating under the same directive. Asking them to initiate coffee chats on their own is likely to feel pretty scary. ![]() Second, you probably have some introverts or shy people on your team. So if you don’t gently force them to interact with others, they’re unlikely to do so. Why does this exercise have to be mandatory? First, some people withdraw and disengage in times of crisis. And then just keep the process going for as long as your team remains isolated. Third, the following week, change ‘coffee buddies’ and repeat the exercise. If you could have picked your own name, what would it be?.What is the one food you could eat for the rest of your life?.What is your favorite guilty pleasure TV show?.What’s one movie you could watch over and over?.What three things are you most grateful for?.What’s the most fun project you’ve ever worked on?. ![]() If you could have tea with a fictional character, who would that be?.If your team is already bonded, with a history of good relationships, they’ll likely be fine chatting about topics of their choosing.īut for newer teams, or teams where not everyone is comfortable jumping into casual chit-chat, give them a list of conversation starter questions, like: Second, you can either let people chat about anything they want, or you can give them some starter discussion topics.
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