In today’s episode, we cover breaking the ice with AJ, Johnny, and Michael Herold.

Why is breaking the ice an important skill, what impact does it have on your health, and what strategies can you use to make breaking the ice easy and effective?

What to Listen For

• Breaking the ice and your health – 0:00

• Why should we be engaging in more small talk and why is it dangerous to our mental and physical health to spend too much time alone?
• What is the first obvious signal that loneliness is your new normal and what can you do to break out of that cycle?

• Make small talk more effective – 20:18
• Why are witty one-liners ineffective at breaking the ice and what should you say instead?

• What questions should you avoid when meeting someone for the first time, and what questions should you ask instead?
• What is the easiest way to revive a conversation if you feel like it’s dying or getting awkward?

• Break the ice MORE OFTEN! – 30:58
• How should we be looking at breaking the ice and small talk if we want more opportunities, more friends, and a more fulfilling life?

• How do you break the ice with someone wearing headphones?
• Why is making small talk important if you have goals and dreams you want to accomplish in life?

It’s easy for us introverts to dismiss small talk and interactions with strangers as a waste of time. What’s the point, right? The problem with this mentality is that it ignores our human nature. We are social creatures, and as social creatures our mental and physical health will suffer if we are isolated from our tribe. That is one reason being exiled from the tribe used to be the ultimate punishment as life without the support of your fellow tribesmen surely meant death in the wild.

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Resources from this Episode

Is Efficiency Overrated?: Minimal Social Interactions Lead to Belonging and Positive Affect

Art of Charm Ice Breaker Cheat Sheet

Check in with AJ and Johnny!

AJ on Instagram

Johnny on Instagram

The Art of Charm on Instagram

The Art of Charm on YouTube

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