The key to good small talk is to believe, if only for a moment, that it is just as urgent and consequential as any philosophical conundrum or national event. At the core of this belief lie kindness and tenderness. People with whom you make small talk are made aware that for at least one moment in their lives, they have a safe home with you, a place where they are welcome just as they are. They do not need to earn your attention. They receive it simply by existing.