The Art of Office Small Talk
Remember: You’re More Likable Than You Think
A 2018 study published in Psychological Science showed that people “systematically underestimated (недооценивали) how much their conversation partners liked them and enjoyed their company.”
Think about it: when you have an awkward (неловкий, натянутый) small talk interaction with a co-worker (it’s stunted (вялый), there were silences, neither of you could think of something to say) do you normally go back to your desk and think, “Wow, Alex is a terrible conversationalist”? No. You go back to your desk and think, “Wow, I’m a desperate human being who should be shunned from (держаться в стороне от) society.” And Alex is thinking the same thing about him or herself.
Point is, you’re more likable than you think you are, so try not to judge yourself so harshly. According to Ellie Hearne, founder and C.E.O. of the leadership communications agency Pencil or Ink, which, among other services, teaches companies and executives how to have better internal communications, “people don’t remember what you say — they remember how they felt when they were with you.”
