I must admit that I am not good at small talk. When one is deeply aware of consulting time that could be utilized for the good of a reader or client, one tends to look at small talk as a waste of time. But so many interesting opportunities and insights came from those ‘casual’ conversations with partners, clients, and readers that had nothing to do with the deliverable.
People remember you outside the professional persona. The professional persona is expected, but the personal should pleasantly surprise those you interact with.
In MBA Admissions interviews, small talk is challenging if the person is an alum. They are in a different mindset, managing challenging timelines while also finding time to interview you. Being mindful of topics that don’t look forced will help you with the small talk strategy.
Here are 3 Easy ways of building talking points for the small talk:
1) The How Are you Cliché
The ‘How Are you’ cliched question looks forced, but I have heard surprising responses on 2 occasions that forced me to ask follow-up questions. Most were around the time of the pandemic when clients and I had similar personal losses. We could empathize with the loss of loved ones. There was one common thread of events in our lives that made the goal of cracking the interview even more important for both of us.
Let the interviewer ask the question. You can start with the obvious “I am fine. Thank you” response, but you can also use this as an opportunity to start a follow-up small talk question.
2) The Follow-Up Small Talk Question – Opportunity to apply your research skills
Even schools with the narrowest timeline of revealing your interviewer’s details offer sufficient time to research. Find what might interest the person.
If big regulatory news has been on the news cycle for the past week, talk about it.
A client shared how the crypto crash coincided with the interview, and the interviewer had extensive experience with tokens.
The “I am fine, thank you” response was followed by “I lost $5000,” which made an interesting opening two minutes of conversation. The person who was radical in terms of building alternative financial systems felt connected to the client’s interest in diversification. The questions around investments in emerging economies all had this theme of ‘risk management with crypto.’
They found a common talking point. And the tone of the interviewer changed immediately from a formal to a friendly conversation.
Use that ‘small window’ from the “I am fine, Thank you” to start an interesting talking point.
3) Dead End Conversations and Questions about Ethnicity/Families/Experiences
Some interviewers will not play ball when talking about ‘professional’ topics. One easy way to find out the person’s interests outside work is through social media and the likes/dislikes patterns.
With privacy safeguards, it is tough to easily get this information. But most have an open attitude towards YouTube and music playlists that have surprisingly easy access. Research them to understand the person’s attitude towards people and life, cultural affinity, and make an educated guess about their attitude.
Questions about family and moving to the country (if they are immigrants) or the city (if they are out of towner) will diverge into topics about restaurants, weather, and experiences.
Play ball and let the person talk.
In mock interviews I have seen clients – eager to establish rapport, trying many talking points without allowing the interviewer to reveal their thoughts. It is when the interviewer feels heard and respected that the interviews transform from gotcha to a supportive conversation.
Don’t fear the small silence if the interviewer is a reflective person. That might be their style of operating.
