Small talk discussion cards

Small talk discussion cards are a helpful therapeutic tool for learning more about your clients, building rapport, and easing anxiety for clients starting therapy.  

This article provides an overview of small talk discussion cards for kids, discussion cards for students, and examples of discussion cards for adults.

Therapists can also download a free discussion therapy cards PDF to save to their electronic health record (EHR) and share with clients.

What are small talk discussion cards?

Small talk discussion cards are open-ended questions used as conversation starters, especially if someone feels socially anxious or doesn’t know what to say. 

Discussion prompts are widely used in multiple settings. They can be helpful to use in the workplace, classrooms, coaching scenarios, team-building events, and therapeutic settings. 

Small talk discussion cards can be used in one-to-one or group settings and cover various topics, such as food, travel, and fun hypothetical questions.

In therapy, small talk discussion cards for kids can be used as icebreakers to learn more about your client, build rapport, ease anxiety, help with social skills building, and prompt the client into more self-exploration.

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How to adapt discussion cards for kids and others 

Below is a list of small talk discussion cards that therapists can adapt based on the client’s age and situation:

Social small talk discussion prompts

• If you could invite any celebrity to dinner, who would it be and why?
• What brings you here?
• Why is that important to you?
• Would you like to join me over here?
• What do you do for a living?
• If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
• What is something unique you’ve noticed at this event?
• Where would you go if you could visit any place in the world?

Questions for kids in therapy

• What is something that made you happy this week?
• What color matches how you feel today?
• Who is in your family? 
• What do you do when you feel sad or frustrated?
• What is something you’re good at?
• Who do you talk to when feeling sad or scared?
• If your stuffed animal could speak, what would it tell me?
• How can you know if someone in your family is upset?
• Can you describe something you enjoy doing together with your family? 
• What’s a place or room you like to go to when feeling sad or upset?
• What would you be if you could be any animal (real or imaginary)? 
• What is your favorite hobby?
• Tell me about your best friend.
• What do you like to do with friends and in your spare time?
• Have you ever had to be really brave? 
• If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be? And what would you pick for your family?

Small talk discussion cards for students 

We’ve included a range of small talk discussion cards for college-aged and school-aged students:

• What are you studying?
• If you could pick any superpower, what would it be?
• What is the most enjoyable subject?
• If you could design your classroom, what would it look like?
• Who is your favorite teacher? Why?
• What is the best way to learn a new topic?
• Have you thought about what you’ll use your degree to do?
• Do you prefer to read books or go to the movies?
• What do you do outside of school or college for fun?
• What is a school or college tradition you look forward to each year?
• If you could learn a new skill, what would it be?

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How to use the small talk discussion cards with clients

You can download and use the small talk discussion cards in several ways:

• Print the discussion cards for kids, cut them out, and ask the client to pick the discussion prompt they’d like to talk about.
• Provide the client with the discussion cards for kids to practice using the prompts to strengthen their social skills. 
• Ask the client to reflect on some of the prompts in between sessions as a self-exploration exercise and then report their progress at their next therapy appointment. 

Sources

• Abrahams, M. (2023). Don’t Sweat The Small Stuff: How to Excel at Small Talk (and Even Enjoy It). 
• Hudak, P. L., & Maynard, D. W. (2011). An interactional approach to conceptualizing small talk in medical interactions. 
• Li, L. (n.d.). In Defense of Small Talk. 
• McKay-Semmler, K, L., & Semmler, S, M. (2013). Teachers Workbook: The Art of Making Conversation: Learning the Skills Small Talk.

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