What are people smoking?

[Dionysus]

What is up with some people's (usually "professional") advice on small talk?

I'm going to give prospective students and parents tours on our campus. Of course it is essential that we are friendly towards them. Our director gave us some "pointers" on how to strike up good conversation. Some of them were: "I like that outfit! Where did you get it? How much did it cost?" "If you could be any animal, what animal would it be?" "I think the weather is very nice today. What do you think?"

This isn't the first time I've recieved lame advice on how to start small talk. I've been told to ask similar questions when I worked in the restaurant and in my fraternity workshops. I was yelled at all the time when I was a hostess for not asking people "How's the weather?" as they wait for their table. Maybe it is just me but if a stranger asks me those types of questions I would think they were a bonehead. Sorry, I think I will stick to making small talk about sports and current movies.

[tinydancer]

I think you are right! If some random person asked me what animal I wanted to be and why, I would be all "WTF???"

[valkyrie]

Crack, darling, they're smoking crack. Anyone who wants you to ask how much someone's outfit cost is either smoking crack or was raised by antisocial wolves in a cave somewhere far, far away from other humans.

For real though, I went through a series of job interviews for a really impressive position with the Department of Justice. My final interview was in a conference room with at least seven people interviewing me, most of whom I had met during earlier interviews. The Director of this particular division was asking most of the questions, and at the end he asked me if I had any questions for him. Now, we've all heard how terrible it is to not have questions to ask, but after so many interviews all my questions had been answered, so I blurted out "If you were an animal, what animal would you be." Everybody in the room cracked up of course, and he answered that he would be one of those big turtles that swims around in the ocean.

I did not get the job. Obviously, they did not appreciate my wacky sense of humor.

[astroAPhi]

I am so using that sometime.

[IowaStatePhiPsi]

Originally posted by Dionysus
I'm going to give prospective students and parents tours on our campus. Of course it is essential that we are friendly towards them. Our director gave us some "pointers" on how to strike up good conversation. Some of them were: "I like that outfit! Where did you get it? How much did it cost?" "If you could be any animal, what animal would it be?" "I think the weather is very nice today. What do you think?"

Keep up the small talk- sends more of the smart ones to Iowa State.

[Peaches-n-Cream]

Those are lame questions.

[Xylochick216]

I was a tour guide for 3 years at my school. We were always told to ask relavant things, like where they were from, what their major was, what clubs they were interesed in joining, etc. Some things are just too random to be brought up in that setting.

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally posted by IowaStatePhiPsi
Keep up the small talk- sends more of the smart ones to Iowa State.

Smart people do not go to Iowa STTTaTTTe.

[Peaches-n-Cream]

Originally posted by GeekyPenguin
Smart people do not go to Iowa STTTaTTTe.

What about the people who run the Dance Marathon?

[GeekyPenguin]

Originally posted by Peaches-n-Cream
What about the people who run the Dance Marathon?

Ones who run it, or ones who pretend to?

[valkyrie]

Originally posted by Peaches-n-Cream
What about the people who run the Dance Marathon?

They go to the UNIVERSITY OF IOWA, not Iowa State. U of Iowa in theory has the smarter kids, but every once in a while they let in a freak who nonetheless goes on to be president of a worthwhile student organization and a founding sister greatly involved in a sorority recolonization.

[KSig RC]

Originally posted by valkyrie
They go to the UNIVERSITY OF IOWA, not Iowa State. U of Iowa in theory has the smarter kids, but every once in a while they let in a freak who nonetheless goes on to be president of a worthwhile student organization and a founding sister greatly involved in a sorority recolonization.

that girl sucks/sucked.


and iowa state is quite the bastion of intellect - one of the earth's largest fertilizer thinktanks. go state.

[Peaches-n-Cream]

Originally posted by valkyrie
They go to the UNIVERSITY OF IOWA, not Iowa State. U of Iowa in theory has the smarter kids, but every once in a while they let in a freak who nonetheless goes on to be president of a worthwhile student organization and a founding sister greatly involved in a sorority recolonization.

Haha!

I'm sorry about my college confusion. Whenever I read Iowa, I think of the pretend people, dance marathon, and gc and all the drama.

Can you tell that I am bored?

[RedRoseSAI]

Originally posted by Dionysus
"I like that outfit! Where did you get it? How much did it cost?"

Not only is that question lame, it's completely inappropriate! How much one's possesions cost are not anyone else's business!

[IowaStatePhiPsi]

Originally posted by valkyrie
U of Iowa in theory has the smarter kids

I'm sorry, but the shit coming out of your mouth really stinks- have some toilet paper.

For the past four years, more State of Iowa National Merit Scholars have selected Iowa State University over all other Iowa institutions of higher education combined.

funny, I dont see that other Iowa university- the one that ranks #1 in the state in cases of rape and pot-possession charges- in the top ten here:

2002-2003
National Achievement Scholars
Top 10 Public Universities
Rank Scholars
1 Florida 51
2 Florida A&M 20
3 Iowa State University 19
4 Georgia Tech 16
5 Michigan 12
6 Alabama 10
7 Ohio State 9
8 Georgia 8
8 University of Virginia 8
10 Florida State 7
10 Illinois 7
10 Louisiana State University 7
Source: National Merit Scholarship Corporation (2002)