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Small Talk Matters
(It's More Than Filler)

Small talk can feel awkward, or like we're opening the door for a "talker" to put us behind. Many of us either avoid it or get stuck talking too long. Good small talk isn't filler; it's a tool to create connection. This upSKILL covers how to chat like a pro and turn any exchange into an easy back-and-forth, not an awkward start-stop.
   8:00 Watch Time [Week 43 from the Weekly upSKILL series]
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 Real Help 

Solve these 'people problems'

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For upSKILLers:

  • Feeling awkward or unsure what to say next with a patient (or anyone) you don't naturally connect with
  • Small talk turning into a string of questions that feels more like an interrogation than a conversation
  • Conversations that go dead after one-word answers with nowhere to go from there
  • Remembering that small talk isn't meaningless, it's how patients start to feel safe and connected with you
  • Turning ordinary small talk into an easy back-and-forth instead of forced filler
  • Building the kind of rapport with patients, teammates, and people in your personal life that opens doors you never expected

For Leaders:

  • Team members defaulting to closed, transactional exchanges instead of natural conversation with patients
  • Missed opportunities to build the kind of trust and rapport that keeps patients coming back
  • Coaching team members to read the room and adjust instead of forcing the same script on every patient
  • Patients who feel genuinely connected to and known by your team, not just processed through an appointment
 Data 

It's science

People consistently underestimate how much a conversation partner liked talking with them, a gap researchers call the "liking gap."(1)
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That means patients are probably enjoying the small talk more than their face lets on.
People also underestimate how much they'll enjoy connecting with someone new, expecting small talk to feel more awkward than it actually does.(2)
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That's the exact hesitation that makes us want to skip it, even though it usually pays off.
People who ask more follow-up questions are consistently rated as more likable and better conversationalists.(3)
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One good follow-up question does more for connection than a dozen surface-level ones.
 Note 

From The Experts

"Even when I know that my doctor probably doesn't remember these details and just checked their notes, it feels so good as a patient to have someone care enough to continue the previous personal conversation we had at another visit."
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- Christine & Lauren, The Patient Whisperers
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 SERIES 

This is adapted from Weekly: Mastering Soft Skills

by The Patient Whisperers:
Soft skills that make work and life better.
For everyone who works with patients - or interacts with humans.

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quick bites, by The Patient Whisperers.

Soft skills are people skills

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Ralph Chu, MD
CEO & Chief Medical Officer
Chu Vision Institute

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 WHO 

Meet the experts

The Patient Whisperers
Christine Scarlett
& Lauren Weaver
Former practice leaders leading change by bringing relational intelligence, soft skills + emotional connection into healthcare as authors, speakers, and upSKILL instructors. 
Get to know them here or connect on social media:
Christine Scarlett
Former CMO
& Director of Patient Experience
From counseling patients, to Director of Patient Experience, to CMO, Christine's worn nearly every 'hat' in a healthcare practice. The driving force? Her love for people... creating exceptional patient experiences and empowering those who serve them.
Lauren Weaver
Former
Director of Brand Development
Bringing her PR, branding, social media influencer status, and love of storytelling with her, Lauren turned how we market and build a brand for ourselves in healthcare upside down by redefining how we connect with our patients, both in practice and online.
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(1) Boothby, E. J., Cooney, G., Sandstrom, G. M., & Clark, M. S. (2018). "The Liking Gap in Conversations." Psychological Science, 29(11), 1742-1756.; (2) Epley, N., & Schroeder, J. (2014). "Mistakenly Seeking Solitude." Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, 143(5), 1980-1999.; (3) Huang, K., Yeomans, M., Brooks, A. W., Minson, J., & Norton, M. I. (2017). "It Doesn't Hurt to Ask: Question-Asking Increases Liking." Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 113(3), 430-452.