The Art of Small Talk

by Casey Wilson, Jessica St. Clair

Hilarious and practical advice for how to up your small talk game from comedians, actors and self-appointed experts on chit-chat, Casey Wilson and Jessica St. Clair.

Prepare to be schooled in the art of conversation by dynamic duo Casey Wilson and Jessica St. Clair. Dismissing the notion that small talk is a painful social obligation, these self-proclaimed small talk maestros share their gift of gab in this laugh-out-loud and instructive audiobook. With their help you might find yourself excitedly asking your barista about the weather…and maybe you’ll get a free coffee. Who knows!

In The Art of Small Talk, Casey and Jessica share six simple rules for how to engage in small talk and achieve the connectedness we all crave with any and everyone. Backed by scientific research (conducted by real experts), they’ll teach you how to move past the perceived misery of idle chit-chat and start making magic out of the mundane.

The audiobook features smart humor, genuine advice, and conversations with both the famous and the intellectual. Hear from folks like Amy Poehler, Colin Quinn, Tony Hale, Malcolm Gladwell, June Diane Raphael, and a range of experts with their takes on not only the how but also the why. Filled with entertaining tips to take you from Hostile Beginner to Confident Expert, compelling insights on the significance of chatting up strangers, plus transformational tape of a real, live, Small Talk trainee in action, The Art of Small Talk breathes new life into a lost art and explores its profound impact on our human experience.

After listening to the undisputed Patron Saints of Small Talk, you will have all the tools and gumption at your disposal to take your headphones off on the tarmac and ask your mate in 20C: Have you listened to the Art of Small Talk by Casey Wilson and Jessica St. Clair? It will change your life.

Genres: Audiobook, Nonfiction, Self Help, Humor, Communication, Personal Development, Comedy

5 pages, Audiobook

First published May 17, 2024

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author with this name on GR

Reviews

[Olive Fellows (abookolive) · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable audiobook original on how to be a great small talker and why it's important! Funny, insightful, and ultimately, quite helpful.

[Scottsdale Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Art of Small Talk caught my eye for two reasons: 1) I hate small talk. 2) I love Casey Wilson and Jessica St. Clair. Listen to the audiobook version if you can because hearing these two quip with each other while hearing the examples of good and bad small talk were hilarious. While I found this book to be laugh-out-loud funny, I was also impressed since it's backed by science. One of my favorite things that I learned from this Malcolm Gladwell-backed book is that most people hate small talk, but that it’s actually good for our health. Connecting with other humans, even in seemingly inane ways can help us live longer! I also love the jokes thrown in about how it’s people like them that make most of us hate small talk (self-deprecating humor is one of their tips!). Start for the small-talk tips, stay for the Amy Poehler bits. --Michelle V.

[Andrew · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book ended up on my "didn’t finish" shelf. I was skeptical from the start, but the glowing reviews convinced me to give it a try. In hindsight, I think the reviewers were more enamored with the authors than the content itself.

My interest waned by chapter 2 when one of the tips suggested lying. Encouraging dishonesty to improve small talk immediately undermines the book’s credibility.

If you genuinely want to get better at small talk, I highly recommend "Supercommunicators" by Charles Duhigg.

[Caysie Ashton]

This was more entertaining than helpful, but when I switched my expectation from "this will help me glide through welcome week" to "this will help me get through this road trip" it really was an enjoyable listen. Definitely some cringe 40-year-old comedian humor, but what can ya do.

[Justine S · Rating 3 out of 5]

The authors are….a lot.

[Emily Saeugling · Rating 3 out of 5]

A comedy skit disguised as a self-help novel. Not recommended for children.

Lots of laughs and a few tangible techniques to implement after listening to this!

[Linh Nguyen · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is a strong contender for the worst book I've ever read, and I've read over 200 in the last 5 years.

The authors are extremely annoying, very bad, vulgar low-effort jokes that you expect from Twitch streamers. They spend half of the book trying to tell you the benefits of small talk but realistically they don't realize for a lot of people, their level of conversation and energy is deeply exhausting.

Their advices were basic, or just straight up weird. "lie about where you're from" "pretend they love what people are doing, even though you'd rather die than to do it". "Compliment their outfit even though it's one of the worst things you've seen". Very mean girls "I am deprived for attention" vibes.

Needless to say, people like these two authors are probably the top reason why introverts do not want to deal with small talk and people.

[Sab · Rating 4 out of 5]

Found this book at the right time, crazy how it got me back into exchanging pleasantries with people the way I used to pre-pandemic. Living my best life because of their advice

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars.

I originally gave this one a shot on my flight home from Stockholm, and it did not work for me. I think I might just not be an "audiobooks on the plane" kind of gal?

But, I gave it another try thanks to its short run time and Casey Wilson and Jessica St. Claire's guest appearance on Danny Pellegrino's podcast. And I'm so glad I did.

There is a reason this book was released in audiobook form only - it was made to be listened to. The production value is so high, and there are so many special guests, it's more like listening to really long, informative podcast than anything else. I loved that they had actual audio snippets of their interviews with various people along the way, and I thought their following Tony through his small talk journey and getting to "hear" his test towards the end was brilliant.

As an introvert who can appear very extroverted, I took a lot away from this book. Hearing the science of small talk was pretty eye-opening, and important to hear as someone who, in uncomfortable situations, is much more likely to hide behind my phone than try to engage in small talk. And yet, everything they said about people who engaged in small talk being happier also rang true. Though I certainly fear having to interact with strangers, those small interactions that take place where you find a common bond with a stranger, or someone compliments you randomly really do feel fulfilling and provide a serotonin boost.

Listening to this made me more mindful of ways in which I can go out of my comfort zone a bit more to make small talk in my own life, and they really did provide practical tips for how to do that. Also, they're both funny as hell, which never hurts.

One audiobook note that is less than positive: While the vast majority of the audio clips from special guests were crystal clear, the ones from Colin Quinn were very much not. The audio quality was so poor and they used clips from their conversations frequently enough thatI felt it detracted from the overall audio quality which was a little disappointing. A minor gripe, and certainly not enough to not recommend the book, but wanted to acknowledge it.

[Lauryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 ⭐️ This book is silly fun and surprisingly informative for all of us trying to get through post-pandemic small talk. Casey and Jessica blended expert interviews, comedian povs (like Amy Poehler and Colin Quinn), their own funny anecdotes and role-playing scenarios to share details on why we should all be small talking more. 😂

[Tasia · Rating 1 out of 5]

I guess you gotta ask yourself, what do I want out of this? This book was filled with vulgar jokes and disingenuous techniques. I got all the way to chapter 9, but then, during a barrage of shitty things you can say to people to keep them talking, I realized I was trapped in a car listening to this drivel. And I turned it off.

I picked up this book because I want to be better at small talk. But why? Because small talk is the beginning of human connection. I don't want to make those connections by lying, or self deprecating. I don't want to make myself seem weak and disorganized so someone else can be an expert by comparison. I don't want someone doing that to me, either. I felt icky. Like I was listening to how to be a pick up artist.

The jokes weren't funny, either. And I like vulgar jokes.

[Claudia · Rating 1 out of 5]

Personally I found this suuuuper generic and not very helpful. I felt like they contradicted themselves a lot. The authors themselves were extremely annoying and I found I couldn’t look past the annoying jokes. Not my cup of tea.

[Jill Wahlen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Small talking itself is a similar level of obnoxious as this book about small talking 🙃

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished The Art of Small Talk and as an introvert surrounded by extroverts, I hit “play” on the audiobook faster than I duck out of a party. Casey Wilson and Jessica St. Clair are a great comedy duo—they had me laughing the whole time. The tips are simple, smart, and backed by actual science (who knew?). Special shoutout to their awkward friend Tony, who is basically me if you replace his surfing with my obsession for books. Also, Amy Poehler drops by like the cool aunt who tells the best stories and then disappears. Five stars. Look out world here comes an introvert who is going to try to talk to you!

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

As a certified yapper, I was not this audiobook's intended audience. Jessica and Casey made me feel so validated in my love of small talk! I've heard people describe it as shallow or a waste of time, but the authors did a great job of explaining why this skill is so important to have and how it can connect people on a deeper level.

[Brynn Kler · Rating 3 out of 5]

this was a good audiobook, however the content didn’t stick with me like i hoped. it felt very podcast-like, which was entertaining. but the content felt forced. to me small talk is a lot more natural than tho book made it seem.

[Akilah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a fun book on such a needed skill! Bonus points because it’s and audiobook that I could knock out during my work commute

[Jack Stonecipher]

great!! good, actionable advice. pretty fun too :)

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

The audiobook was entertaining. I listened to most of it in one sitting

[Meghann · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars! Jessica and Casey are a delight! I’ll read/listen to anything they publish. Mostly really liked this book and their approach to small talk. There were a few tips that I’ll be taking with a grain of salt.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think audiobook may be the only version of this book but the audiobook was incredible. The two authors are hilarious and have incredible banter back and forth. Not only do they go into multiple areas of small talk to use in every day life, they provide real life examples and feature many special guests. A great listen!!

[Brittney Beavin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read (listen to) this book because I wanted to feel like I was talking to two extroverted friends who would make me laugh and encourage me to stress less about how others perceive me in social situations and to be open to small talk when given the chance and that’s exactly what I got. This was such a fun audiobook that I’d recommend to anyone wanting a light, genuinely delightful time.

[Zion Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolutely hilarious audiobook (free on Spotify premium) where comedic-improv geniuses Casey Wilson and Jessica St. Clair demonstrate a perfect example of form fitting content. Great for a long drive where you need something a little light that’ll make you laugh and also give you really great life skills— how to small talk at cocktail parties, interviews, on dates, family gatherings, and what is CERTAIN to put you in small-talk-jail. Another plus— interview clips with Amy Poehler!

[Emily VA · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciated the premise that we all benefit when we reach for even casual human connections more, and stare at our phones less. And the book made me chuckle at times. And I liked the poem at the end!

I found the book’s willingness to embrace lying over authenticity in casual interactions, and their use of connection to manipulate folks, as less charming and/or hilarious than I think the authors intended. Even when they walked back some of the “lying is fine!” In later chapters… *shrug*

I also found the authors’ “do what we (pretty, vivacious, well off, white women) do, and it’ll work great for you!” tone a bit oblivious, even when they finally briefly acknowledged that this might not work as well for everyone about 75% of the way into the book.

[Jenny :) · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Nothing super novel or revolutionary, but still a good, quick listen to refresh on small talk tactics and to remind me to put myself out there more often.

I found the random celebrity name dropping to be a bit unnecessary at times, but I can see why they chose to include it (i.e. the power of small talk! you can meet Kim Kardashian!) and it seemed to lessen as the book went on. Personally, most of the jokes fell flat for me and the banter / comedic tone the authors had throughout the book felt very Saturday Night Live-ish (which made sense when one of them admitted she used to work for snl). Accordingly, I generally don’t find snl very funny (at least the newer seasons of the show that I am more familiar with).

[Daynah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This audiobook is extremely hilarious and provides so many helpful tips about making small talk. As an introvert, I appreciate all the great examples of how to be a good conversationalist. Be warned the authors make sly innuendoes throughout the book and I think that is part of their charm! Highly recommend for both personal growth and entertainment value.

[Bonnie Chin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Was an entertaining enough audiobook that served more like a really long podcast but nothing in here was super insightful

[Ariana · Rating 3 out of 5]

i don’t know that i learned anything useful

[Alessandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to do so much small talk for my job and it’s exhausting so wanted a few pointers. Did I get much out of it? Not really. But it was a really cute and well-done audiobook

[anahí · Rating 1 out of 5]

idk what i thought i was going to get with this one but….this def should’ve been a podcast episode