There are also some subjects that are not considered acceptable when making small talk. Discussing personal information such as salaries or a recent divorce is not done between people who do not know each other well. Compliments on clothing or hair are acceptable; however, you should never say something (good or bad) about a person's body. Negative comments about another person not involved in the conversation are also not acceptable: when you do not know a person well you cannot be sure who their friends are. You do not talk about private issues either, because you do not know if you can trust the other person with your secrets or personal information. Also, it is not safe to discuss subjects that society deems controversial such as religion or politics. Lastly, it is not wise to continue talking about an issue that the other person does not seem comfortable with or interested in.

Some examples

You should be careful about who you talk with about these things, and what you say. You need to be more careful with people that you've only just met, people who are older than you, people who appear to have strong religious or political views, or people who may have some personal problems or sensitivities.

- Age, eg "How old are you?"
- Children, eg "Do you have any children?"
- Appearance or weight, eg "You seem to have put on some weight"
- Gossip about somebody (you may be talking about the person's friend or favourite person)
- Jokes that might offend (especially sexist or racist jokes)
- Money, eg "How much do you earn?"
- Complicated subjects, eg philosophy
- Sex (some people have strong religious views about this, or are embarrassed by the subject)
- Previous or current relationships, or marriage ("Do you have a girlfriend?", "Are you married?")
- Politics
- Religion
- Crime
- Criticisms or complaints