How to Build a Stronger Relationship With Your Boss: Part 2 [VIDEO]

Having healthy work relationships can help your workplace have a healthy environment overall. In the first part of this series, we focused on having a conversation instead of interviewing your boss. In this video, we discuss tips for perfecting your small talk skills. 

Transcript

Sometimes, when you’re meeting with your boss, small talk can seem awkward and insignificant. You may even prefer to skip over the small talk and get right to discussing your latest project. However, if you’re looking to build a stronger connection with your supervisor, small talk can play an essential role. 

And the key to perfecting small talk is focusing on the right topics. You want to avoid anything that could be controversial or spark a disagreement. So, it’s a good idea to stay clear of politics, religion, your financial issues, personal medical issues, etc.

Instead, stick to conflict-free topics, like this: 

Employee: “Good morning! How are you today?”

Manager: “I’m good, thanks, how about you?”

Employee: “Well, I have my coffee here, and I just took a yoga class, so I’m feeling good, thanks. Coffee and yoga is pretty much my morning routine. It gets me energized and ready for the day. I find it to be a huge help. What about you, do you have any special morning routines?”

Manager: “Actually, yeah, I’ve been training for the New York City marathon–my first marathon!–so I try to get in a run every morning. I find it also energizes me, even though it’s not always easy to get out there. I also like yoga quite a bit too." 

If you take the time and effort to engage in small talk, regardless of the answer and response you receive, you’ll likely have a better idea of your manager’s larger experience of the world. This can also help you have better conversations and stronger connections down the road. For more career advice, check out Vault.com!