Small talk is as popular as toothache.

But like dentist visits and completing your taxes, it's a fact of life. And when you consider it's the essential social function that transforms us from strangers to friends, lovers and more, it's worth finding a way to finally embrace it.

Experiment with these different analogies:

It's a bridge...

...which links you directly from Strangerland to Friendstown. The time on the bridge depends on how committed each party wants to spend there. The more inquisitive you are, the quicker it is to cross the bridge.

It's a dance...

...where both dancers work together for the dance to work. Each will take it in turns to go forwards (speaks) while the other dances backwards (listens). Each depends on the other for the dance to work.

It's a game of tennis...

...with the aim of maintaining a long rally. Therefore, the players serve each other easy shots that their opponent can return easily. Ask easy questions that make it easy for opponent to respond happily.