No matter how well-intended the person speaking may be, using certain phrases almost always makes small immediately uncomfortable.

Do you use small talk at work? In this episode of Office English, Pippa and Phil talk about which topics to use at work with people you don't know well, when to use small talk and what not to talk ...

Those who master the art of small talk can achieve a lot in their careers. What chatting at work can achieve and, above all, how to make small talk a success.

It's easy to say, "I'm not good at small talk" and simply try to ignore it, Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit argues that small talk isn't an innate skill, but rather a learned behavior.