Billions of people do it every day. In fact, you could say that it makes the world go round. Some of the people who are doing it are very young. Some are very old.

And billions of hours are put in every day.

What is this activity that is so common that almost everyone does it every day? Join the conversation! Making a little talk! Conversing. Yakking. Making a talk. Shooting the breeze!

This type of conversation is not very deep and is not about anything important. In fact, you could say that, on the surface, most conversations between two people tend to be very trivial. Because these conversations seem so trivial, you might think they are unimportant, but they actually play an important role in how we get to know other people and how they get to know us in return.

You can chat with someone you’ve known for years. Or someone you just lined up at the bank. You may want to share the latest gossip or talk about sports. Your interlocutor might ask you how you like the weather or what you do.

This kind of idle conversation can last five minutes or half an hour. In many cases, small talk leads nowhere. It just disappears without leaving much of a trace.

Are all those billions of hours that people spend every day making conversation a waste of time? Not necessarily.

Although small talk can be a huge waste of time, it also helps to pass the time. Help people get to know each other better. Small talk can be a lot of fun and extremely enjoyable.

And while most small talk may not be about something important, some may lead you to develop deeper friendships with some of the people you talk to. Or these conversations can lead to new job opportunities.

The little talk has a purpose. The purpose of a small talk is to help you get to know other people in a fairly safe and predictable way.

And having good speaking skills is really important. Lack of conversation skills can lead to problems creating new relationships. Poor conversation skills can even hold you back in your career.

The purpose of a little chat is to let other people know a little about you, while at the same time you can learn a little about them.

During the course of your introductory talk, you may have some common interests. Or you may find that you don’t have much to talk about!

The next time you meet someone you have talked to before, the two of you will get to know each other a bit more. The more you talk, the more you will find things in common.

Not everyone is good at chatting with people they don’t know very well. Some people find it very difficult, and even distressing, to make small talk.

People who are very shy and people who have low self-esteem often have a hard time starting and sustaining these conversations.

Sometimes very smart people have the hardest time engaging in idle conversations with others.

People who are not good at small talk will find that they do not make as many friends as people who engage in small talk with ease. Lack of conversation skills can make you look socially awkward.

People who aren’t good at conversation starters can end up feeling very lonely.

If you have trouble engaging in small talk and other forms of conversation, what should you do?

First, you have to ask yourself if improving your conversation skills is something you really want to do. Ask yourself why improving your conversation skills might be important to you.

Would your life be better if you could easily converse with other people?

If the answer is yes, the good news is that you can really improve your conversation skills. It will take practice and commitment to improve your conversations, but when your conversation skills improve, it can open up a whole new world of social opportunities for you.