BEST OF: Hate Small Talk? 11 Ways to Make Any Conversation Actually Feel Good

The Liz Moody Podcast

Liz Moody

Health & Fitness, Self-improvement, Education, Mental Health

4.8 • 2.9K Ratings

🗓️ 24 November 2025

⏱️ 32 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this “best of the podcast” episode, I share the art and science of great conversations so you can avoid awkwardness, overcome social anxiety, and be confident talking to anyone anywhere. These are the tips I’ve learned from experience—having had over 10,000 hours of conversations—and from research conducted by top experts. 🎧 What you’ll learn: Why We Think We Hate Small Talk Examples Of How To Initiate Great Conversations Questions That Spark Interesting Discussions How To Make Someone Feel Good Talking To You How To Make Conversations More Enjoyable And So Much More If you like this episode, check out the episode of The Liz Moody Podcast with Priya Parker: The Secret To Finding Your People, Having More Meaningful Gatherings, & Creating A Community You Love With Priya Parker Subscribe to Liz's substack to download the FREE Connection Card Game by visiting https://lizmoody.substack.com/welcome. Ready to uplevel every part of your life? Order Liz’s book 100 Ways to Change Your Life: The Science of Leveling Up Health, Happiness, Relationships & Success now! Connect with Liz on Instagram @lizmoody or online at www.lizmoody.com. Buy our cute sweatshirts, conversation cards, and more at https://shop.lizmoody.com/. Use our discount codes from our highly vetted and tested brand partners by visiting https://www.lizmoody.com/codes. To join The Liz Moody Podcast Club Facebook group, go to www.facebook.com/groups/thelizmoodypodcast. This episode is brought to you completely free thanks to the following podcast sponsors: AG1: head to DrinkAG1.com/LizMoody to get a FREE Welcome Kit with an AG1 Flavor Sampler and a bottle of Vitamin D3 + K2 when you first subscribe. Clear Stem: visit ClearStem.com, and get the Hydration Heroes Mini Kit for FREE by adding it to your cart with $75 of other CLEARSTEM products when you enter in the code MOODYHH at checkout. The Liz Moody Podcast cover art by Zack. The Liz Moody Podcast music by ⁠Alex Ruimy.⁠ Formerly the Healthier Together Podcast. This podcast and website represents the opinions of Liz Moody and her guests to the show. The content here should not be taken as medical advice. The content here is for information purposes only, and because each person is so unique, please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions. The Liz Moody Podcast Episode 384 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Today, we are talking about small talk, which a lot of us hate, but is generally an unavoidable
0:06.1	part of life, whether you are going to parties or hanging out in the kitchen at work or at the
0:11.2	grocery store.
0:12.2	I'm going to share some of the best small talk tips that I have learned from years of being
0:16.6	an introvert in some very extroverted careers, including what I do now, which is talking for a
0:21.5	living here on the podcast and on social media and also on stage and during networking events.
0:27.4	We are going to get very actionable.
0:29.2	As always, we will overcome some of the hurdles that you might be running into.
0:33.2	We will get into what the science says.
0:35.0	And by the end, you will be equipped to light up any room
0:39.1	with your sparkling conversation.
0:44.8	Hello, friends, and welcome to the Liz Moody podcast, where every week we are sharing
0:48.9	real science, real stories, and realistic tools that actually level up every part of your
0:53.9	life. I'm your host,
0:55.1	Liz Moody, and I'm a best-selling author and longtime journalist. A lot of us hate small talk,
1:00.0	and if I'm being very, very honest, I used to too. Until recently, when I learned some research
1:05.4	that led to a reframe that switched my whole perspective on it. First, I'll share a little
1:10.7	background on me. I
1:12.0	self-identify as an extroverted introvert. Basically, I love being around people, but I find it very
1:18.0	draining. And the more people that I'm around, the more I need to recharge by myself later.
1:23.3	And in studies, too, the majority of people self-identify as hating small talk, but introverts
1:29.1	especially hate it. I used to feel like it was all performative. Like it basically had all of the
	...

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