Small talk? Small world!

People don't really talk to strangers any more. Is it because we're afraid of being stuck with a talking weirdo for too long? Are we missing out on opportunities of spreading happiness, of sharing?

Here's comedy duo Armstrong and Miller on the origins of small talk. Luckily, there are English subtitles in case you don't understand Neanderthal.

My favourite small-talk moment was when I was on a bus in Edinburgh. Everyone was on their way home after a hard day's work, or in my case a hard day's shopping. I was trying to make up for all the days I can't go shopping in Edinburgh because I live in Munich.

I sat down next to an elderly lady, and was careful not to take up too much room with my many shopping bags. We smiled shyly at each other. After a while, she looked at me and asked, "What are you having for your tea?" ("Tea" is what we call "dinner" in Scotland, because we call lunch "dinner".)

It was such a warm, friendly opener. It was personal — which was what was surprising, coming from a complete stranger — but it was personal in a safe way. It wasn't a question about my family status or my health or the size of my house.

Once we'd shared menus and recipes, the conversation flowed naturally to likes and dislikes, where we lived and so on. It turned out that she had sat next to my granny in school! What are the chances? At some point I had to get myself and my bags off the bus, happy that I'd had companionship on the journey and had truly connected with a stranger.

Now when there's an awkward silence, I often catch myself asking people what they're having for their tea, or their lunch — dinner, if I'm in Scotland.

The language feature in the May edition of Spotlight is all about small talk, showing you how to build rapport and how to avoid pitfalls.

Next week: my most surreal small-talk moment.