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After a year without social engagements, Americans may understandably be a little rusty when it comes to small talk.
That’s why Amazon has armed its voice assistant Alexa with tips “for having more engaging conversations with confidence” from Akash Karia, author of Small Talk Hacks.
To start a conversation, Prime members with Alexa-enabled devices may simply ask, “Alexa, help me small talk.” Eligible devices include Echo Buds and Echo Frames—Alexa-enabled ear buds and glasses—for users who need conversational advice on the go.
Amazon has 15 small talk tips in all, which come from Alexa herself, along with frequent attempts at humor and reminders about Alexa’s functionality.
For example, in the tip about using body language like eye contact, nodding and verbal fillers, Alexa adds, “Just note that doing an interpretive dance of their story is probably going too far.” In the tip about exploring the past of whoever you’re talking to, she says, “If they say they are an elevator operator, you could ask about the ups and downs in that line of work.”
Post-quarantine social anxiety
The tips follow an online survey of 2,000 adults conducted by Harris Poll in early June, which found more than one-third of Americans would rather pay bills than make small talk. The study also found more than half of respondents said starting conversations with people they don’t know well makes them nervous and they are nervous about saying the wrong thing in social settings.
“This past year of virtual communication has been hard and it’s normal to feel nervous as you prepare for social gatherings and face-to-face conversations after so long,” Karia said in a statement. “I recommend listening to the whole series [of tips] as a crash course in small talk before your first gathering and then asking for a tip as a reference and confidence boost as you head out the door this summer.”
These Alexa-enabled tips arrive just a week before Amazon’s seventh Prime Day, an annual sales event that has historically seen device sales skyrocket. In 2020, for instance, the Echo Dot was the most popular item for the fourth straight year.
