Lessons in idle chit-chat are taking off among Finns, but what are they filling their lovely, wintry silences with?
Few people admit to being skilled in the art of small talk. It’s like saying you’re good at sleeping, or claiming to be highly lactose tolerant – it’s nice, but it’s no accomplishment. They don’t do medals for it.
Imagine, then, having to learn small talk the hard way – at school. In Finland, the concept of idle chit-chat barely exists; Finns report being surprised when total strangers try to engage them in conversation at airports. But as the global economy brings the world to their doorstep, some Finns have begun to take lessons, in classrooms or from private tutors. For some of us, Finland already sounds like a utopia, a land of silent haircuts and hushed public spaces. Britain does not exactly overflow with spontaneous conversation between strangers – why speak when the lift is moving? If it gets stuck, then we’ll have something to talk about – but in Finland they have reserve in reserve. It’s not a lack of etiquette. It is the etiquette.
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