People admire those who seem to have the innate ability to enter an unfamiliar social situation and begin to engage others in conversation. These people seem to have what is often called "the gift of gab." Others wonder to themselves, "How do they do it?" The assumption that most people make is that the ability to make successful small talk (i.e. "the gift of gab") is somehow a natural ability that one is born with. The truth of the matter is that the ability to make successful small talk is not an innate ability but an acquired skill. And like any other acquired skill, it can be learned, enhanced, and perfected if you have the right information and the determination to do so. With this guiding philosophy, The Pocket Guide to Making Successful Small Talk is designed to provide you with all the information you'll need to learn, enhance, and perfect the skills necessary for making successful small talk. And this information is presented in a manner that will ! give you the determination to put it into practice immediately and continuously. In The Pocket Guide, the author explains the purpose of small talk, discusses small talk apprehension, , and elaborates on the role your body, mind, and emotions can play in hindering your efforts to make successful small talk. To help you understand the underlying dynamics of small talk, there are case studies illustrating what you should and shouldn't do when making small talk, the basic formula and golden rules for making successful small talk, and a discussion of some of the more specific barriers to making small talk. To facilitate your efforts to make small talk, the author explains how to make successful small talk in some of the most common situations (e.g. at parties, on first dates, while networking) and discusses making small talk in the context of changes in technology (e.g. chatting on the Internet) and cultural diversity (e.g. talking with people from different countries.) Finally, he explains how you can master the art of successful small talk by making ! it a part of your day-to-day routine. Most importantly, throughout The Pocket Guide, you are provided with a variety of easy-to-use, practical tips on how to make successful small talk with anybody anytime anywhere about anything. And because opportunities to make small talk can occur with anybody anytime anywhere about anything, all this valuable information is presented in a convenient, efficient, easy-to-use guide that will fit a pocket, purse, briefcase, bookbag, backpack, glove compartment, desk drawer, or travel kit so that you can refer to it whenever opportunities to make small talk arise. Because this valuable information is presented in such an easy-to-use format, you will have little difficulty finding the determination to implement this information in your efforts to learn, enhance, and perfect your small talk skills. With such information and determination, don't be surprised if people start to ask you "Where did you get the ability to talk to people so successfully? Were you born with that gift?" Even if they don't come right out and ask you, they are probably thinking about it, as you once did. This is part of what makes the art of making successful small talk so fascinating and so important.

With this in mind, welcome, and let's get started with your efforts to master the art of making successful small talk!