Small Talk 101

* Many people think of small talk as an art, one that’s necessary to cultivate in order to make good business contacts. But when doing business overseas, you can’t assume that the kind of chatting done with U.S. customers will work with foreign clients, warns communications consultant Barbar Pachter. She has several tips: Read up about the country involved--that will make it easier to find subjects to talk about. Avoid topics that can be controversial, such as politics. And be sure that if you’re meeting for dinner that it’s acceptable to talk business at the table in a particular culture.