small talk in australian workplace
What channels are you watching on YouTube? I teach in a small tech business college with lots of interactional students. The Australian Tourism PR campaign works wonders on us Brits we see sun, beaches and a vibrant city. I like it. This small talk at the margins of a work conversation was probably something you scarcely even noticed. Functionality cookies:these cookies provide functionality that makes using our service more convenient and makes providing more personalized features possible. Of course, make sure its not a private conversation between two people. Consequently, you get to learn more across a wider portfolio, either horizontally or vertically. Im.quite I never know when Im.gonna offend someone. The Art of Small Talk: Why Small Talk at Work Has Big Benefits If youve ever avoided a conversation with a colleague, or felt like you were strangely silent when your coworker tried to engage you in a conversation, this video will help. Read on to find out how to small talk like an expert! www.executivecoachny.com/small-talk-workplace/, Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 6.1; Win64; x64) AppleWebKit/537.36 (KHTML, like Gecko) Chrome/103.0.0.0 Safari/537.36. However, the same principles apply the conversation should be a series of natural extensions. People are often encouraged to speak their minds in front of their superiors. I am quite new at the job and want to improve the skill and your tips are really doable and realistic. At the same time, it enables them to show their wisdom from their past experiences, so once again, you show that you value their work. After checking in with your coworker, the conversation may end as you both head back to your work. Australian workplace. If this sounds like you, then you have an aversion to small talk. Meta shuts down Facebook Watch originals group, 'Red Table Talk People in business here are straight-talking. In addition, even among native speakers of English, some people are more socially adroit than others. This website has been so helpful. Your email address will not be published. Your email address will not be published. As we navigate endless Zoom meetings and new work/life challenges, lets not underestimate the value of small talk. Our American friends found concepts such as workplace profanity, four weeks' annual leave, regular intra-office romantic liaisons and an open bar on Friday afternoons anathema to their own experiences. Ms Selenge lived in a traditional Mongolian ger. You never know if a more senior colleague is listening to what youre saying. This vital interlude of social talk helps people to make a key mindset shift, leaving behind the issues they have just been dealing with in their previous meeting and preparing them to focus on the different challenges theyre about to tackle in this next meeting. I usually work in accounting department and there everybody is quiet and concentrated. In British work culture it's considered perfectly okay to invest in high-end clothing and to wear designer items - in fact, it's often encouraged as it shows status and affluence. How you feel about small talk depends to some extent on where you are from. Another reason I dont talk. While you can ask, How are you? or How are you doing?, I suggest trying to get a little more specific. Most taxi drivers love to have a chat so it's the perfect opportunity to practise your conversation skills in small talk. Being friendly and showing interest in your coworkers can really help you in your career. You didnt usually go into your next meeting without the social lubricant of small talk first. In this case, make sure you thank them for their insight. For example, a manager may be persuaded of the wide range of advantages small talk will deliver to the team, but feel socially hesitant or uncertain. With flatter intonation, they may think youre checking up on them. https://englishwithkim.com/small-talk-better-questions-keep-conversation-going/, https://englishwithkim.com/category/small-talk-in-english/, https://englishwithkim.com/category/intonation/, https://englishwithkim.com/office-small-talk-interesting-work-related-questions/, Why Youre Having Trouble Pronouncing Words in American English, Practice Stress Patterns to Predict How to Say New Words, Clearly Say New, Unfamiliar, and Tricky Words with Word Stress and Contrast, Fast Speech Shortcuts English Speakers Use to Speak Quickly and Efficiently, Intonation For Clear Communication Why Intonation Is So Important in American English, Communicate Clearly with Your Voice in American English, Stress and Thought Groups in American English, Communication Skills: Express Yourself Clearly. However, if you feel uncomfortable, or youre not sure what to ask, dont worry about it! The volume of the conversation will usually indicate how open it is for interjections. In some ways it puts you off, as it's just hassle. Frank McAndrew, Ph.D., is the Cornelia H. Dudley Professor of Psychology at Knox College. At the same time, they felt less focused on and less engaged in their work tasks, which limited their ability to assist others. Instead of preparing a list of killer ice-breakers to use at the interview: Dont use humour unless youre confident it will be taken in the right way. Most people here work more effectively in the day to ensure they can leave on time. In fact, it doesnt even have to be related to work. Certain key factors make the Australian work culture unique. Youre trying to find solutions! Practise and observe your colleagues. You dont want to ask someone who hates sports if they saw last nights game, or someone who doesnt own a TV if they watched the latest episode of this years hot show. Published December 9, 2021 in Teamwork Dominic Price Work Futurist 5-second summary Feeling connected to your colleagues isn't about high-fives at the office. But there are social risks for outsiders. Sure! Stages of the interaction are clarified, along with the behaviours and language examples that provide relevant cues. Nevertheless, the pandemic has made it commonplace to say things like Hope you and your family are safe and well and to acknowledge our feelings of worry and concern. With lighter intonation, the person will feel like youre truly interested in their answer. Whereas here it's a lot of "if I don't go now, my next ferry is an hour". After youve talked with your coworker for a few minutes, you probably want to return to your work. The first one is politics. It also shows that you value their opinion in the workplace. Remote Workers Need Small Talk, Too - Harvard Business Review There is an app you can download, that records all the conversations. Small talk is relatively light, brief and surface level. When you trust people and feel they trust you in return, you can speak up, argue and disagree productively for the benefit of your shared goals. As an expat, I see that the culture here is for Australians to work very hard and take their jobs and careers very seriously. We should be competing on the global stage on a much more regular basis. How to make small talk at work: What to say - YouTube While it feels good to get something off your chest, be aware of who's in the room (or the Zoom) when you're doing so. Its hard enough for any newcomer to the workplace, but when youre operating outside your first culture, it can be even more stressful. If they do go out after work, they could just as easily go out on a Wednesday as a Friday. Then I came to Australia, and everyone was so direct. It helps you learn a little more about whats going on in your office. In these ways, it supports networking across teams and business units. However, managers can find ways to integrate it into virtual settings and use new tools to make it more inclusive and productive. The feedback from women who took part in the think tanks suggests that STEM careers are no longer considered "nerdy" or "unpopular", but they remain . Thanks for sharing your experience. Although these might seem counterintuitive when youre under deadline pressure, our research suggests that they are restorative and reduce burnout. Anything youd like to share? In Australia, only 16% of the STEM skilled workforce are women while 90% of women with a STEM qualification work in non-STEM related fields, according to the Australian Academy of Science. I have never before seen people form an orderly queue for a bus. It isnt gossip. In a recent article on the topic, management experts Bob Frisch and Cary Greene summed it up this way, The chitchat, the side conversations that lift emotions and promote well-being is one way we strengthen and deepen relationships and is critical to building high performing teams. For these reasons, we encourage all our UGM clients to explore a range of ways they can intentionally facilitate in a virtual format those informal interactions that often arise spontaneously among colleagues who used to be face-to-face in the office every day. If you feel comfortable with your coworker, this question can help you get a valuable opinion from them. To resolve these views, the authors did a 15-day study of the impact that small talk had on 151 workers. Even in the winter all these pubs are full of people out on the pavement having after-work drinks. After a colleague volunteers information about their family, this is usually an indication that it is a safe topic and one they probably like talking about. A new study suggests what keeps the chronically dissatisfied so disgruntled. He felt confused when he saw his colleagues blank faces. It does require an awareness of cultural nuance that you may not have, and often humour doesnt translate well between languages and culture. I've found that it's like this across all industries here. Got any plans? Topics are open and can be shared by almost anyone. Working from home has blurred the lines between peoples jobs and their personal lives, and without routines like daily commutes to divide them, many employees are struggling to shift gears between the two. Your role, previously more defined or sectorised, is much broader here. Women alienated from STEM careers by entrenched workplace cultures In a Melbourne workplace, where talk was recorded by researchers, the ubiquitous Australian Monday morning greeting of did you have a good weekend? was met with a lengthy and detailed account by a migrant colleague who outlined their entire schedule over the two days, instead of just mentioning one or two highlights. A forced attempt to sustain conversation can create an even more uncomfortable environment than silence. In other words, socio-pragmatic insights and skills are needed to manage good social relationships in the hybrid workplace. As you can imagine, the most common topic of small talk at work is work! Weight and Physical Appearance Published on July 8, 2019 7 Inappropriate Conversation Topics in the Workplace Claudia Reiners In this post Show There is not the profit margin or volume to hire or bring in more resources. Some people choose to start with " Hows it going " - to which you aren't meant to give an answer. We've fallen in to the trap of focusing on the 24-hour news cycle and the monthly results instead of having a long-term plan that involves real investment in our population and our capabilities. Over here I don't think that it's less social, but I think people are more health conscious , make more plans in the evening and also have a higher proportion of people who drive to work, hence the reluctance to go for spontaneous drinks after work. I want to remind you to be careful when discussing work. Set aside an occasional team meeting solely for social talk. Even though youre talking about a challenge, youre being proactive, and youre trying to find a solution. Remember that suggestions about diet or exercise can be offensive and unwelcome. Any exciting new projects/clients on the horizon? Similar to the previous question, this is a good one to ask when you want potential solutions to your problem. 10 Best Small Talk Topics & Conversation Starters (+ Examples) Once again, I encourage you to keep it positive, but you may be able to ask the other person for some help or some advice. Small talk can help people disengage from the home role and ease into a business mindset. Also, be sensitive to the nature of the conversation. A managing director of the Australian arm of a global firm. Ideally, focus on small talk that encourages the person to say, "Tell me more" or to contribute their perspective to the conversation. Multiculturalism is very common in Australian workplace and diversity specific employee networks designed for staff to communicate, express their ideas, views and share information. After youve started a conversation with your colleague, you may be interested in staying on the topic of work. There was another incident where I finally told her I didnt like her when she asked why I didnt want to be chatty. A light-hearted moan or whinge can be misunderstood as a genuine complaint. The first thing I noticed when I got my contract was the 8.30am start time. This was a side benefit of the face-to-face office. For example, we don't mind the use of profanity in the office. What surprised me initially was that Australia's reputation for hitting the beach, beer and barbecue with the thinnest excuse proved to be true. Angela Wylie. By my afternoon they've all gone home and we can get our Monday started whilst America is still enjoying their weekend. Self-identified cat people have more unusual personality traits than dog people. That goes hand in hand with how laid back it is! You need to get use to the Aussie office slang. Lets improve your stress and intonation so you find your natural flow in American English. One of the reasons I wanted to move here [from the UK] was the embrace the work-life balance culture The other thing is the time zone. Pay attention to your tone of voice! A Guide to Small Talk: 4 Tips and 45 Conversation Starters Find out more information about how we use cookies and other personal information in the Privacy Policy. If youre new to a team or department, you may want to find out more about your colleagues experience working with a certain project or a certain client. Make Small Talk an intentional item on your agenda at the start or end of a meeting. Gemma Labadini, business development director at Allure Media. If the interviewer raises the topic, its good to have something to say in return. Next, lets talk about responding to questions about work. It has been invaluable for relationship building. Platforms like Airmeet set up virtual speed networking for employees. Rather than being antagonistic to each other, these different types of talk are strategies that work in tandem to create effective relationships. Small talk is a perfect topic to study whether you're advanced or just starting to learn English for beginners. We at Business Insider asked expats from our own office, and execs to find out what surprised them most about Australian working culture. Learning what is appropriate to say in certain situations will come with time, but you need to work at it and challenge yourself by stepping out of your social comfort zone. Australian Workplace Culture: Astounding Facts You Must Know It's not that it's terrible for business, but you sometimes wonder if Australians truly realise how ferociously competitive it really is in the wider world. Even if you work remotely and check in with your manager and your coworkers over video conference or even on the phone, youll probably spend a few minutes making small talk at the beginning. Encourage employees to take charge of their own social healthby building in daily social breaks. Jessica Arrowsmith, beauty editor of Popsugar Australia. Bane Hunter, executive director of GetSwift, Seven out of ten Australians think English is crucial to national identityDavid Freund. Whats been inspiring you recently? Australians do great work, but it often feels like they do "just enough", rather than volunteering for challenging projects, starting early and finishing late, and consistently going the extra mile. This also opens up the conversation so that you can swap stories and share your own experience. It's pleasant to have overseeing structures in place that ensure processes run smoothly and support, instead of hinder, deal making. Cool apps or useful websites, especially if they help you do work better. Religion is a very personal belief for many people, and its considered to be part of your private life. This website uses cookies in order to understand how you use the site so you have the best experience. It can be a way of synchronizing the level of intimacy felt by each of the partners in the conversation and a way of . Can You Spot a Narcissist by Their Eyebrows? Other things I noticed are: There aren't as many big corporates, so lots of other business people I meet are in small businesses or start-ups. Naturally, the first thing you should do is greet your coworker with an enthusiastic Hey Jim! or Hi Carrie!. It keeps me busy. Silence can be awkward, whether its in the lunch room or during a job interview. While some may fall prey to conspiracy theories more easily, anyone can fall for the "right" one due to biases in how they process information. They frequently include the weather, current news, sport, health, entertainment, hobbies, holiday plans and family. Hi, very nice article. As organizations consider their optimal post-pandemic remote-work strategy, theyll need practices to integrate small talk into their work ecosystems. Your perspective was really helpful. Whether youre asking about a challenge or you simply want to hear your coworkers perspective on staying organized, managing their to-do list, scheduling meetings, or bookkeeping, this question shows that youre interested in your coworkers style of work. My son has just got braces, but Im the one feeling the pain (humorous reference to the cost of braces). Am I required to make small talk? People chat as they go up in a lift together; when they grab a coffee or eat their lunch; as they wait for a meeting to start or when theyre packing up their papers at the end. Small talk is a strange concept for foreigners at first because it is may not used in some countries but it is common in Australian workplace. She is 56 years old and a self-absorbed narcissist. In some countries, its pretty normal to ask someone if theyre married, but you should avoid asking this question in the American workplace. Your IP address is listed in our blacklist and blocked from completing this request. Our guide to Aussie slang: they say what? Walk My World I'll never forget my initial shock when I was invited to a summer beach party with work, and told in no uncertain terms that we all needed to bring our thongs. Ive been focused on the presentation for my biggest client later this week. Men have long been silent and stoic about their inner lives, but theres every reason for them to open up emotionallyand their partners are helping. If someone asks you the question, you can respond with, Im working on and mention how things are going. And then nothing! But please never ask a married coworker if they plan to have children! Before Covid-19 and social distancing, small talk was a daily workplace ritual for most of us. "Aussies are social and enjoy small talk, both in the office and out, so it will help you relate if you can get comfortable with it as well. If youd like to take this opportunity to learn a little more about your coworkers experience, try this question: Tell me about your experience working with this client / on this project. And talking about commuting, it is pretty different here. That change requires action, it takes a risk-aptitude and a willingness to fail, something that we have to encourage and foster. It also creates a positive atmosphere which can encourage staff retention. 2. We also saw that conversations didnt have to be intimate or lengthy to deliver benefits. Psychological safety, put simply, is the belief that you can speak up and speak your mind without the risk of punishment of humiliation. Small talk is important to us in other ways, putting us at ease and helping us transition to more serious topics like negotiations, job interviews, sales pitches, and performance evaluations. You probably know by now that making small talk is an essential communication skill. The positive effect of these small regular exchanges builds working trust and good relations. I have to say work is as equally social here as in London and NYC, but there's much more of a "work culture" in Australia. Small talk turns out to be a big deal! Children learn the most valuable lessons with other children, away from adults. Jokes at anyone's expense 7. I think it's based on our collective capacity for improvisation a story that stretches back more than 40,000 years. Lets get started! Your private life is your life outside work. Although this mandatory fun might have felt a little awkward at first, the teams that didnt engage in such rituals struggled to adapt to the new normal and reported feeling less connected. Leave a comment and let me know two questions that you think youll use with your coworkers and colleagues. Here it's a given that a) you work hard so a few minutes here and there don't matter and b) you're an adult! So, I dont talk. There are some cultural challenges that we face around being collaborative versus competitive, getting over our fear of failing and our ability to think big. Another thing to avoid is excessive self-disclosure: Sharing your deepest anxieties may be okay when youre meeting a friend for coffee, but its not when youre greeting an acquaintance. Im really looking forward to it. The interviewer, commenting on some renovations being done in the adjacent office, says, Sorry about the noise. There's also much less hierarchy in workplaces here, compared with Asia for example. I arrived here as an expat 20 years ago originally on a working visa with Ernst & Young. Your blog will be part of their required reading. What continues to be apparent the more time I spend in Australia is the "dance". I have had issues with my coworker and believe she is trying to have me fired. Small talk and the hybrid workplace Before Covid, you probably chatted casually with your colleagues for a few minutes as you all arrived in a meeting room and settled down for a team catch up. Stuart Allinson, managing director of BidEnergy. They found that though small talk was both uplifting and distracting to employees, the positives outweighed the negatives, and the negatives could be managed. Ice-breakers at the interview are even more difficult because most often it is the first time youve met the interviewers. In recent years, small talk has been belatedly recognized as a beneficial feature of everyday life. | If thats the case, dont forget to say, Nice talking to you! or See you later.. Fund managers are assessing two capital raisings on Monday as Aura Energy . They place value on their personal wellness in the workplace including the relationships they have with the people around them. That is when they arent doing road work (laughing). The country is so big that it covers five distinct time zones, so if you want to run a national business you need to cover a huge range of business hours that would be the equivalent of supporting a customer base in Western Europe or North America but with a much smaller population and potential market. Ignoring a person communicates power over them. I was very impressed with the way Australian businesses work with and for Asian companies. Thanks for telling me about your new project. May 1, 2023 - 12.21pm. You agree to share your name and email address with Kim in order to leave a comment. Small talk is defined by the Oxford English Dictionary as Polite conversation about unimportant or uncontroversial matters, especially as engaged in on social occasions.. Here's what they said. If someone asks, How are you? its ill-mannered to rant about your bad day. If someone asks you about your day, try to focus on being positive and productive: These types of responses give you and your coworkers something in common to talk about, especially if you work on similar projects. Air strikes and shelling have rocked Khartoum as Sudan enters a third week of fighting between rival military forces despite a . For example: "Beautiful day, isn't it?" "Lovely. 7 English Small Talk Topics for Starting Friendly Conversations 1. I grew up in the UK and started working as a management consultant in Sydney 12 years ago. 125K views 2 years ago Learn English with Alex Talking with co-workers can be awkward. In other words, a script functions as a detailed guide outlining what behaviours are appropriate in a given situation. A script is a pattern of interaction that clearly articulates the target behaviour. First, lets talk about how to open the conversation and get your coworker talking. However, I also noticed that it didn't come at the cost of hours put in at work. Partying 4. If someone asks you this question, you can respond enthusiastically, saying, Ive gotten into or I love. The party turned out to be a rousing success, and those in attendance confirmed that it was one of the most interesting and stimulating social events that they had ever attended. If someone asks you this question, you can say, I had a similar situation with that client. Before Covid, you probably chatted casually with your colleagues for a few minutes as you all arrived in a meeting room and settled down for a team catch up. You could eat lunch together once a week, as an example. Small talk refers to an informal, polite conversation that often focuses on unimportant or trivial topics. Coffee breaks, after-work drinks and catching up with the people you work with is essential to an Aussie's working day. I use it all the time. Of course, I wouldnt rather kill myself). With the exception of Melbourne or Canberra, Australians like to drive even when there is a public transport alternative - and cities are designed to suit cars, not bikes, particularly Sydney. Yet not everyone is a fan; some think small talk is inauthentic and a waste of time. In this context, it is important to note that video meetings encourage stronger personal connection than phone calls. At work i am struggling to come up with small conversations and now i feel more confident because of what you have provided. We definitely behave and speak differently around colleagues context is key to communicating well. One Spark client at a global law firm explained, During the pandemic it was important to us to make sure employees were still making the random connections you might find in a shared office space to help with innovation, building networks, and collaboration. People contribute their best work, feel more committed and put in more discretionary effort when they experience their co-workers as people of goodwill towards them. Small caps Aura Energy, IperionX chasing equity The proximity to Asia and the fact we are in the same time zone means there are enormous opportunities across the continent for Aussies.
