The Verbal Handshake: Small-Talk Skills for Korean Professionals in the U.S.
When I first arrived in the United States, small talk felt agonizing. I wasn’t just self-conscious about my imperfect English. I was also unaccustomed to chatting easily with people I barely knew. Shifting from Korean conversational norms to U.S. ones is an often-overlooked challenge for many Koreans and, more broadly, for people from other East Asian cultures. Yet this invisible hurdle can shape our confidence, relationships, and sense of belonging every day.
I created this worksheet for Korean and other first generation Asian clients who find small talk bewildering. My intention is to validate your experience and to show that struggling with small talk is not a personal flaw. It’s simply a cultural skill you can learn.
With care,
Yeji
