DEVELOPMENT OF JOURNALISM STUDENTS’ SMALL TALK: PILOT STUDY FINDINGS

Abstract

Effective communication is crucial for professionals in humanitarian and technical fields. One aspect of communication that is often overlooked is phatic dialogue, which is studied by linguists and cultural experts. However, there is limited research on the practical aspect of developing phatic dialogue skills, particularly in relation to studying English. This study aims to explore students' understanding of the importance of small talk in interpersonal communication, as well as assess students' proficiency in phatic dialogue in the context of journalism. The research involved surveys and tests conducted with students, and traditional statistical methods. The preliminary findings reveal varying levels of knowledge about the significance of small talk in social communication, as well as differences in the development of phatic dialogue skills among students. The results will inform the author's proposed methodology for evaluating the quality of small talk, which will be used as the basis for designing exercises to enhance phatic dialogue skills among journalism students.