I was standing at a hotel coffee station last month, holding a tiny porcelain creamer shaped like a cow, when a stranger walked up next to me and said: "Hello." My brain went completely blank. I couldn't even summon a "how about this weather?" level of reply. If you've ever had that moment, you're in excellent company. As a professional speaker and executive coach, I talk for a living, and I still get caught flat-footed by a casual greeting. Small talk might seem inconsequential, but it's the