Once, a student told me she wanted to practise phone conversation.
I told her I only had one banana, but we could try.
ME: Ring. Ring. Hello, this is Bob.
STUDENT: Hello, Bob. This is Jana from Dekonta. Send me two copies of the report you…
“Wait, wait, wait…” I said. “When was the last time you spoke with Bob?”
“Two months ago.” she said.
“Well in that case, how about some chit chat first?”
Chitchat is conversation about the weather, family, health, or whatever else is new.
We also call it “small talk.”
I’m not a big fan of talking about the weather, but it’s just part of English-speaking culture.
When you start a conversation with someone, don’t launch immediately into what you want.
First, ask “So, what’s new with you?”
“How’s the family?”
“Sure is hot/cold/windy today.”
This shows you care about them.
And again, like it or not, it’s simply the culture.
Even if you think this is strange or a waste of time, imagine you’re a traveller to an exotic village and to be accepted into the tribe you must act like everyone else. And in this case, it means asking, “What’s new?”