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Small Talk

The first two minutes with someone you barely know

Usually hardest for: Extraversion low

The three phases

  1. Day 1–7

    Notice

    Watch it happen. Nobody else has to know.

  2. Day 8–14

    Try it small

    Do it where it costs you nothing.

  3. Day 15–28

    For real

    The people and rooms that actually matter.

Three of the 28 days

One from each phase, in full. The rest arrive one a day in the app — the first 7 days free.

Day 1 about 15 min

Watch five conversations start

Today you only watch. In a cafe, a checkout line, the office, or anywhere people gather, notice five moments where one person starts talking to another. For each one, note who spoke first and what their opening line was — a phone note is enough.

Why it matters

Almost every chat starts with an ordinary line, not a brilliant one. Seeing that with your own eyes takes the pressure off before you say a single word.

If it stalls

Busy places make this fast: a lunch spot, a bus stop, the office kitchen. If five feels like a lot, three good observations count.

Afterwards you answer

  • What was the most ordinary opening line you heard?
  • Did anyone seem to mind being spoken to?
  • Which of the five starts could you imagine copying?
Day 8 about 10 min

Say hello to three people you pass

Today you make the smallest possible move: eye contact, a smile, and a clear "good morning" or "hello" to three people you pass — a neighbor, someone walking their dog, the person at reception. No conversation required; you keep walking.

Why it matters

A greeting is the on-ramp to every chat, and it trains the hardest part: being the one who goes first. Nearly everyone greets back, and your body learns that nothing bad happens.

If it stalls

Mornings are easiest — people expect greetings before 10 a.m. If eye contact feels like a lot, greet as you're already passing; momentum does the work.

Afterwards you answer

  • How many of the three greeted you back?
  • Which one felt hardest before, and how did it feel after?
Day 15 about 10 min

Ask a nod-only colleague one real question

There's someone at work — or at your gym, course, or club — you've nodded at for months without ever really talking. Today, stop and ask them one real question beyond hello: how long their commute is, what they're working on, how they got into this. Stay for at least three back-and-forths before you move on.

Why it matters

Nod-relationships are frozen at the easiest possible level, and one real question unfreezes them for good. These people already like you enough to nod — the risk is smaller than it feels.

If it stalls

Catch them in a between-things moment: the kitchen, the corridor, the warm-up area — not mid-task. Their name plus a question lands warmer than a question alone.

Afterwards you answer

  • Who did you pick, and what did you learn about them?
  • Does the nod feel different now?

How progress is measured

Before you start you rate these situations from 1 to 5. After 28 days you rate them again, without ever seeing the first answers. The difference is the whole point of the app.

  • Speaking first in a group of strangers
  • Keeping a casual chat going past the first minute
Small Talk

The other skills

Empathy

Reading what someone feels, and letting it land

28

Social Skills

Getting into rooms and conversations you would otherwise skip

28

Emotional Expression

Saying what you feel while you are still feeling it

28

Active Listening

Hearing someone out instead of waiting for your turn

28

Conflict Resolution

Staying in the room when you disagree

28

Expressing Appreciation

Telling people what they did well, out loud

28

Vulnerability

Letting someone see the part you would rather hide

28

Find out where you actually stand.

Five minutes for the assessment. 7 days free after that.

Coming to the App Store

iPhone · iOS 17 or later