How To Master Small Talk & Overcome Shyness With Dan Chang

On this episode of Become More Compelling Radio I'd like to introduce you to my friend Dan Chang (@friendformula) founder of The Friend Formula.

A former self-descibed shy guy, nine years ago Dan decided to start learning about social skills so that he could perform at a high level in his career. 

​He's gone from someone who was too shy to speak up in meetings, to giving presentations to executives. (Dan's small talk tips are great)

Dan Chang, founder of The Friend Formula

Dan has been featured on INC, Business Insider, The Huffington Post, Lifehacker, Introvert Spring, and many others. 

In this conversation, we discuss how to become better at small talk than 99% of people. I love Dan's advice because it's so easy to implement. 

If you've ever fiddled with your phone instead of striking up a conversation with someone you've wanted to meet, this podcast is for you.

In this episode you'll learn:

• 13:55 How to make yourself comfortable before you even open your mouth.
• 15:50 A simple tip that Dan's boss gave him: You don't have to have a great idea to say something.
• 30:50 Dan's 3 step framework for mastering small talk

You'll definitely want to grab Dan's free three video mini course on small talk (Including strategies on reducing nervousness) here.

Listening Options

• Click Here to listen via iTunes.
• Stream by clicking here.
• To download and listen later: right click here and choose "save as".

Show Notes & Links

03:57 Dan's story: from shy guy to starting conversations on the train
10:30 Mindsets about small talk that will set you up for success
11:55 Talking about nothing helps us bond with other people
13:55 How to make yourself comfortable before you even open your mouth
​15:50 A simple tip that Dan's boss gave him: You don't have to have a great idea to say something.
18:45 Dan talks about the dangers of too much prep before conversations
24:20 Why you should avoid too much self focus during conversations
30:00 Link to Sam Harris' Meditation for dealing with negative emotions
30:50 Dan's 3 step framework for mastering small talk
38:40 Why affirming what other people say sets you apart from 99% of people
41:00 How Jeff started 89,400 conversations over 10 years 
45:50 If Dan woke up tomorrow with no connections and no friends, this is what he would do first
49:50 Dan's free resource for Become More Compelling listeners: 3 video mini course on mastering small talk

Question for you...

After listening to this podcast, what is one key takeaway for you when it comes to small talk? 

Let me know in the comments.