ABSTRACT
Defining what we mean by 'conversation' is quite a difficult task because it takes many different forms: the quick chat on the way to work or in a shop; the friendly short or long phone call; the extended conversation where intimacies are shared; the complex exchange of compliments, opinions, jokes and sympathetic comments at a dinner party, and so on. Even interviews are a kind of formalised conversation, but with special rules. For many of our clients it is very difficult indeed to decipher the 'codes' of conversational styles that are appropriate in any given setting. Many clients with a diagnosis on the autism spectrum are much more at ease with 'big talk' than small talk, but in fact they need to improve their small talk skills if they aim to converse well in social settings, and it is small talk which is the main focus of this chapter.
