AP Language Synthesis Essay Notes

Source A

Points:

Small talk between colleagues and supervisors builds rapport and trust, which could be the thing that gets you the promotion or keeps you in the role you're in.
Engaging in small talk during interviews helps make a positive impression.
The absence of small talk can make people feel bad about themselves, like they're true failures at life for not being able to connect with a fellow member of the herd.

Quotes:

"Rapport is the feeling that allows you to extend a deadline, or overlook smaller mistakes, because it makes it easy for you to remember we're only human. Right or wrong, building rapport through interaction with colleagues could be the thing that gets you the promotion or keeps you in the role you're in." (Jamie Terran)
"People hire people they want to work with, not necessarily who's perfect for the job. Engaging in small talk with your interviewer helps make a positive impression." (The New York Times)
"The absence of [small talk] can also make us feel bad about ourselves, like we're true failures at life for not being able to connect with a fellow member of the herd, worried deep down that we will be kicked out of society and left to rot alone on the plains, to pay for our own streaming services instead of sharing a login." (The New York Times)

Points:

Superficial small talk does not build relationships and is not beneficial for personal or professional growth.
Genuine and deep talks lead to happiness and better relationships.
Banning small talk and encouraging meaningful conversations can lead to increased happiness and freedom to talk about what people really want to talk about.
Jeffersonian dinners, where people engage with captivating questions, provide an opportunity for meaningful conversations.
Setting parameters for good conversations can actually increase freedom to talk about important topics.

Quotes:

"Surface-level small talk does not build relationships." (Marcel Schwantes)
"As published in Psychological Science, researchers found that the happiest participants in a study involving more than 20,000 recorded conversations had twice as many genuine and deep talks as the unhappiest participants." (Marcel Schwantes)
"Instead of decreasing freedom, 'people appeared freer to talk about the things they really wanted to talk about,' state the authors. In turn, 'everyone was happier.'" (Marcel Schwantes)
"Such events, whether attracting big wigs or neighbors, open up all kinds of possibilities for introverts." (Marcel Schwantes)
"If you disagree with something, attack ideas, not people." (Barry Breaux)

Points:

The graph shows that a majority of teenagers text to "just say hello and chat."
Many teenagers also use texting to report where they are or check where someone else is, and to coordinate where they are physically meeting someone.
A significant percentage of teenagers also use texting to do things related to school work, to have long conversations to discuss important personal matters, and to exchange information privately.

Points:

Small talk is a crucial component of "doing collegiality" in the workplace.
Small talk serves a positive politeness function, indicating that the addressee's wants and actions are appreciated and shared by the speaker.
Small talk can serve as a means of transition to the main business of a workplace interaction, warming people up socially and getting talk started on a positive note.

Quotes:

"Doing collegiality' involves, in particular, paying attention to the positive face needs of participants, and small talk is an obvious example of discourse which is oriented to the addressee's positive face needs." (Coupland, Small Talk)
"Small talk typically serves to establish, maintain or renew social relationships." (Coupland, Small Talk)
"Small talk enables these workmates to 'do collegiality'. They indicate mutual good intentions as they construct, maintain, repair or extend their collegial relationships." (Coupland, Small Talk)
"Small talk warms people up socially, oils the interpersonal wheels and gets talk started on a positive note." (Coupland, Small Talk)

Points:

The author hates small talk and experiences a physical aversion to it.
The author is not generally averse to talking to people, but specifically dislikes one-on-one small talk.
Small talk is important because it precedes big talk and helps establish comfortable relationships.
Research shows that even introverts benefit from more frequent small talk.
Small talk has not been extensively studied academically.

Quotes:

"I hate small talk. Hate it."
"The minute the interaction begins, something inside me...wants to get out of it."
"It's not people in general, or social situations in general, but specifically one-on-one small talk that is the issue."
"Which means if you hate and avoid small talk, you are also, as a practical matter, cutting yourself off from lots of meaningful social interaction."
"Research shows that more frequent small talk even among those who identify as introverts, makes people happier."
"For all its ubiquity, small talk hasn't come in for a ton of academic study."

Building rapport and trust through small talk is crucial in the workplace and can lead to promotions or job security. (Source A)
Engaging in small talk during interviews can make a positive impression and help candidates get hired. (Source A)
The absence of small talk can make people feel bad about themselves and cut them off from meaningful social interaction. (Source A, E)
Genuine and deep talks lead to happiness and better relationships, but surface-level small talk does not build relationships. (Source B)
However, small talk can serve as a means of transition to the main business of an interaction, warming people up socially and getting talk started on a positive note. (Source D)
Small talk is a core example of positively polite talk and serves to establish, maintain, or renew social relationships. (Source D)
Even introverts benefit from more frequent small talk, which can make people happier. (Source E)
Small talk can help coordinate social interactions and check up on someone's whereabouts, which is important for teenagers. (Source C)
While small talk has not been extensively studied academically, it remains an unavoidable part of many basic life tasks. (Source E)