Make Friends, Not Small Talk
Meet some new people. Talk about something besides work. Find out you like someone you might never have talked to otherwise.
It's the best way to make new friends in 20+ cities and online.
As seen in:
"Making friends is hard"
We've all heard that making friends is hard, loneliness is an epidemic, and the internet is making us all forget how to be humans.
We're totally here for that discourse, but how about actually *doing* something about it?
We host IRL events for people in their 20's-40's to get offline and actually meet new people.
But it's crazy-awkward to just introduce yourself to a full stranger and hope for the best. So we designed a whole event for meeting new people that's guided by a ridiculously friendly and welcoming host. You use Skip the Small Talk question cards that are there to help you *actually* get to know people (and so you don't accidentally just talk about your job six times in a row.) People keep telling us we're the best way to make new friends (and, in some cities, the best way to date!), and we try to be humble, but honestly, we kinda see why.Backed by science
We use techniques grounded in psychological research to help people interact more genuinely and feel more connected. And guess what? We promise it won't be awkward.
Respectful and safe
Our events are structured to help you push your comfort zone in talking openly while still feeling in control of how much you share. Our goal is for you to feel comfortable and safe.
Online or in-person
We host events in over 20 major cities, including Boston, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Chicago. And if you're not based in any of these cities, we also host virtual events.
Ready to Give it a Try?
- Shai N says...
“My first Skip the Small Talk was in some ways a transformative experience. Being in a situation where people were actively encouraged to talk to each other meant that it was trivially easy to have the kind of deep conversations I would normally never build up to in a strange setting. It felt fantastic.”
Find other ways to connect
Enjoying Skip the Small Talk? We make it easy to leverage the same techniques in your personal life with friends and family or with your coworkers.
Get the card deck
Now, with Skip the Small Talk Deck, everyone can practice flexing their metaphorical "vulnerability muscle" directly with friends, loved ones, and acquaintances.
The 100 cards, each featuring a thought-provoking question, start conversations about the most important things in life-helping you form new friedships and deepen existing bonds.
Buy online for $16.36Talk to us about private events
We design research-based, one-of-a-kind in-person, and remote events that maximize for almost any social goal, from learning how to cooperate and listen to building rapport in a team, to helping individuals feel more socially connected in their everyday lives.
Learn more
Ready to Skip the Small Talk?
Get out of your comfort zone by opening up and connecting with strangers (or friends if you bring 'em)!
Find Events
informed by research
We use techniques grounded in psychological research to offer people the tools they need to interact more genuinely and feel more connected to each other in their daily lives. We've read the white papers, sorted through the abstracts, and connected the dots to create social interaction activities that actually work. And guess what? We promise it won't be awkward.
Ticketed eventS
Our Skip the Small Talks (or STSTs) are a great place to get out of your comfort zone by opening up and connecting with strangers (or friends if you bring 'em)! We currently host in-person events in major cities in the United States and Europe as well as online events that you can attend from anywhere.
Custom workshops for teams and communities
We design research-based, one-of-a-kind events that maximize for almost any social goal, from learning how to cooperate and listen, to building rapport in a team, to helping individuals feel more socially connected in their everyday lives.
Get our Conversation Card deck!
Deepen existing bonds, start new friendships, and discuss the things that really matter most with this conversation card deck providing a fun and easy way to skip the small talk. The card deck features some of our favorite questions that have been used at Skip the Small Talks for years as well as new, never-before-seen questions that we think are awesome!
What we're thinking about
We've curated tips, stories, and inspiration to help you Skip the Small Talk in your everyday life
the unexpected place to look for new friends and romantic connections? right where we already are. or, more accurately, our friends’ friends - because social circles tell us a lot about who we might like, and ease the process of making a connnection.