Imagine small talk was banned for a whole day and everyone had to skip straight to deep questions. How would that go?

A natural way to answer

I think it would be exhausting, honestly. Small talk is the gentle ramp that eases you in. Skip it and every interaction would feel intense and intrusive. People would clam up rather than open up, I suspect.

Key phrases to use

• freeze up — become unable to speak or act because of nerves“I froze up when they asked me directly.”
• dive in at the deep end — start with the hardest or most intense part straight away“Don't dive in at the deep end with someone you've just met.”
• clam up — suddenly go silent, often from nerves or discomfort“People would clam up if questions got too deep.”
• overshare — reveal more personal information than is appropriate“Skip the warm-up and people tend to overshare.”