Some people dread small talk. They worry that it will be boring, awkward, or that they’ll run out of things to say…But it doesn’t have to be painful.

Here are two tips to begin mastering the art of small talk:

Be interesting - Instead of responding to a simple question like, "How are you doing?" with "Good, you?" embellish your response with tidbits of information. For instance, you might say, "Good, I biked to work today and I'm feeling great!" or ‘’Great, I’m going to Paris next week and I just can’t wait!"

Be interested – Be curious, ask open-ended questions and carefully listen to the other person answer. For instance, "What do you do?", followed by "What brought you to that type of work?"

By being interesting and genuinely interested in the other person, you may turn a small talk into an authentic conversation.