Public Speaking Expert Shares How AI Helps Make Small Talk More Natural and Engaging

Small talk, often dismissed as trivial, can play a crucial role in building meaningful connections—yet it frequently feels awkward or forced. Communication coach and professional speaker Henna Pryor says that using artificial intelligence tools such as ChatGPT Pro and Perplexity has helped her transform those brief exchanges into more confident, memorable interactions.

Pryor, a global keynote speaker and author of Good Awkward: How to Embrace the Embarrassing and Celebrate the Cringe to Become The Bravest You, explains that AI can serve as a practical rehearsal partner for preparing better icebreakers, clearer messages, and stronger conversational readiness.

As a SUCCESS Magazine Woman of Influence and executive coach, Pryor describes conversation as central to her work—but even she admits to moments when small talk stalls. “Ever had a moment where you’re talking to someone and suddenly can’t think of what to say next? It can be awkward,” she notes. To make those moments smoother, she turns to AI tools to help refine her approach before the interaction even begins.

A group of people talking | Source: Pexels

Pryor outlines three main ways she integrates AI into her communication practice. The first involves using AI to generate more thoughtful, context-driven icebreakers. Instead of relying on tired openers such as “So, how about this weather?”, Pryor uses AI prompts like: “Based on this person’s LinkedIn profile, what are three conversation starters I could use?” or “Give me three light openers for a new client call happening right after the company all-hands meeting.”

She emphasizes that “the better your inputs (who, what, where), the sharper the outputs,” encouraging professionals to provide detailed context when using AI to brainstorm ideas.

Her second strategy is using AI to make conversational points more memorable. When explaining a topic in casual discussion, Pryor often asks AI to help her find metaphors, analogies, or one-liners that make ideas more relatable. Examples she’s received include: “Remote work is like dating long distance. It works best with regular check-ins,” and “That team’s energy is like cold brew: intense, fast, and sometimes too much all at once.”

Pryor says that while not every suggestion works, the exercise itself helps her communicate with greater clarity and impact. “The good ones help me practice being brief and vivid,” she explains, adding that even simple hallway conversations can benefit from this type of preparation.

A woman talking in front of a group of people | Source: Pexels

The third and most versatile method, according to Pryor, is using AI to prepare for unpredictable interactions—such as spontaneous meetings or chance encounters. Before an event or discussion, she inputs relevant details into AI, such as attendee roles, topics of interest, and her own contributions. Then she asks: “Based on this context, what are a few questions I could ask that would add value?” or “If I had just one to two soundbites to share in this meeting, what should they be and when might be a good time to offer them?”

Her advice for anyone looking to make small talk less awkward is to start small: prepare a few conversation starters before a meeting or event, observe what feels natural, and save effective lines for future use. Over time, she says, this process builds a “personal social cheat sheet” that can make everyday interactions “a little less awkward, a little more meaningful.”