Don't you hate small talk?

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I really do, I get so pissed off when people seem to engage those small conversations which I only seem to answer with a 1 word adjective or a simple sentence and the conversation stops..
Yesterday I was on instant messenger and it's like everyone is typically asking the same thing, "how is university?", "how are things?", "what did you do today?" and I always give them the same answer everytime they do that and cannot carry on the conversation..
How is university? Disgusting
How are things? Typical
What did you do today? I woke up, spent the whole day on my laptop, watched a movie and played on my piano..
Meh..

I like it IF I'm actually interested in how they are (eg they were feeling down the day before, and I want to know they're OK) and what they've been doing (eg I've not spoken to them for a while) and IF they're honest with their answers. I hate it when I ask 'how are you?' and get a reply of 'OK thanks' then later find out they're not OK. Yes I'm guilty of it, but I know that if I'm not interested, I'll not ask so earnestly! If they have a problem, if they don't want to talk about it then why not tell me that?! Gr!

But on the whole I don't like small talk. Why can't we just get on with discussing interesting and/or important things?!

I've found recently I've managed to ask enough open questions, "typical" questions and seem interested enough to at least get by. I have no idea if I'm giving too little or too much eye contact, I know I'm missing all the kinesics and probably giving off the wrong impression because of mine and I still find it all pretty boring.

I don't mind a little bit of small talk as it can actually start off a conversation. It's when it goes from one piece of small talk to another to another and nothing seems to go anywhere that I get annoyed because its boring and nonsensical.

Not really good at small talking never have been, i mean i don't mind it so much if it's a friend i haven't seen in ages because then i'm interested to hear how their lives have been over that time but generally i try and pretend like i haven't heard someone if they ask me that kind of a question. Not the best way to deal with small talk but definetly better then digging myself into the floor trying to small talk with people.

I agree, small talk is boring.

I kinda like it and I kinda don't. I tend to enjoy conversing with people whether or not the talk is about "important" things - in fact, I think talking about everyday things can be quite fun. However, it does get frustrating when people ask me questions like that and I can't really give much of an answer to them. Or, when the reverse of that scenario happens.

I hate small talk I don't really get it, I don't do well in conversations, I don't really know when to speak. I usually don't know when to talk and tend to inturupt.

I hate small talk too, though I've learned how to "do" it. Sometimes I can actually enjoy it for a couple of minutes, but not if it happens too often or lasts too long.

Last night we were at a get-together with several other adults and it started off fine, but after an hour or so I was just *longing* for someone to start a topic that actually interested me. I have that reaction a lot: I'd *love* parties if I regularly found someone to talk with about languages or programming. There's generally no hope with the women; but even with the men, few rarely want to discuss something technical. It truly seems like it's all kids, dieting, makeup with the women; and cars and football with the men.

I do not mind small talk, I never really understood and I am bad at it. I've read Groovydruid's article on small talk and improving it, it will serve me well in the future. Getting out more, knowing more people and trying out new hobbies and activitives would allow to have more to talk about in small talk conversations.

I hate it, it's a waste of time and it sounds stupid.

As a man the piece of small talk I find the most difficult is when a woman starts going on about her husband or boyfriend.

I want to say: "I don't care about your husband or boyfriend, what's that got to do with me"! !??

Sometimes I can switch off my brain and do it. But not all the time.