I once received advice on smalltalk that's been interestingly useful.
The advice was to ask questions could be answered with a number. Like "How long have you lived in New York?" or "How many siblings do you have?"
On the surface those don't seem great at stimulating conversation, but people seem to automatically expand on the number they give since they feel it deserves explanation.
I've used it several times when I've been set adrift at a cocktail party without a conversational thread to pull on.
The advice was to ask questions could be answered with a number. Like "How long have you lived in New York?" or "How many siblings do you have?"
On the surface those don't seem great at stimulating conversation, but people seem to automatically expand on the number they give since they feel it deserves explanation.
I've used it several times when I've been set adrift at a cocktail party without a conversational thread to pull on.