People are working from home. And, if they are in the office, it’s never everyone, everyday. So, you rarely get to see your manager and coworkers face to face. You’re a salesperson, but you no longer stop by your customer’s office because nobody is there.

You may be in management, sales, customer service or anything else. Without the day-to-day conversation practice, it’s time to up your small talk game.

Small talk is essential in business as it has many benefits, including:

• It allows you to better understand someone else and what is important to them.
• It helps you find things you have in common with the other party and can be the foundation of the relationship.
• It allows someone to get comfortable with you and is a great first step to establishing trust.
• It can diffuse a tense or difficult situation or process.
• It can lead to collaboration, creativity, innovation and improved corporate culture.
• It can result in growing your network.

Yet, when you mention “small talk,” most people either don’t like to do it, feel awkward, or don’t know how to do it effectively.

The trick to small talk, like the trick to most things, is to practice and be prepared. According to Larry Kendall of Ninja Selling, follow the FORD method and talk about family, occupation, recreation and dreams. Let’s take this a step further to outline five specific topics.

Take the topic and create your own story, then keep that story in your back pocket, ready to use the next time you find yourself struggling with a conversation. You’ll find it easier to have a shared experience.

Food. We all eat it, and many of us are so enthralled by food that we take
pictures of our meals and post them to social media. Want a good way to strike up a
conversation? Ask someone about their favorite, local restaurant. All of a sudden,
you will start to learn about the other person – what they like to eat, who they like to
eat with, and the type of atmosphere they like — loud and action-packed or secluded and quiet.

The weather. Ugh, you’re thinking, right? But, everyone has a story about the weather. Remember that one time you got caught in the storm of the century? How about that time it snowed and you couldn’t get your kids home from school? Weather is universal and everyone has a story.

Vacation and travel. Talk about a recent or upcoming vacation, and you tap into something special and important to the other person. Tell me a story about the best vacation experience you’ve ever had. Or share with each other places you’ve been and favorites at that location.

Books, music, TV and movies. Be it books, music, television or movies, we all read, listen and watch. Have you seen the new blockbuster movie that came out? I just binge-watched Ozark. Have you seen it? Do you like Taylor Swift? New stuff or just the old ones? And as far as books are concerned – wha’s the last one you read?

Family. We all have stories from when we were growing up and we have stories about our families from today. Some are cute, some are sad, but all are relatable. The trick to the topic is know what you want to share and what you do not. Be prepared and have the story you want to share ready to go.

Sometimes, small talk is more difficult than presenting a slide deck. But, you can work any room and build relationships with those in the industry by having a few stories at the ready to share. The key: Be authentic and listen to others carefully.

Steve Richman is speaker who has motivated mortgage audiences around the country.