Talk to Strangers Oakland

###You'll need the event URL, so be sure to register in advance at https://www.skipthesmalltalk.com/store/skip-the-small-talk-online-thursday-june-27-2024 so we can send it to you. We'll send you an e-mail with the Zoom link a few minutes after you purchase a ticket (and we’ll also send it again the day of the event)-- please check both your “spam” AND “junk” folders if you don't see it!###

You may expect this event to run from 7:00-8:15pm ET/ 6:00 - 7:15 pm CT/ 5:00 - 6:15 pm MT/ 4:00 - 5:15 pm PT. Please be aware of time zone differences.

These Zoom events are designed based in psychology research to give you all the warm fuzzy feelings of human closeness, without that feeling of Zoom-fatigue afterward.

We use question prompts and a structure designed based in psychology research to help you get vulnerable with strangers in a way that actually feels safe, and that brings out the best in people.

All our events are trauma-informed and facilitated by folks with therapeutic training. According to our surveys, a lot of our guests report feeling nervous about coming, but 100% of the people who say they were nervous also end up saying they were glad they came. There might be some selection bias going on, but we still think it's promising :)

We even had an academic paper come out about our online events showing that they improve mood and reduce loneliness! Check that out here.

What's it like?

The whole thing is on Zoom.

We'll put you into pairs in breakout rooms, and you'll switch partners so you're not just talking to the same person the whole night.

We'll give you question prompts to spark conversations to make sure you're getting the most out of your conversations.

Some examples of our research-backed prompts are, "What's something you're proud of that you don't usually get to share with people?" And, "What's something I would need to know about you in order to be friends with you?"

But if you hate our prompts, you'll always be invited to make up your own or talk about whatever feels right.

What do people say about it?

Here's some stuff people have told us (unprompted!) about the online Skip the Small Talks:

"I was surprised at how good this was! I'll definitely be coming back!"

"This has turned into my weekly self-care-- going to this event every week is something kind I do for myself to stay sane."

"I'm an introvert, and to be honest, I even think of myself as someone who generally hates other people, but I actually feel energized after Skip the Small Talk online. For some reason, I feel Zoom fatigue in pretty much every other online interaction, but I'm usually, like, giddy after these."

Ready to Skip the Small Talk with us?

You can grab a ticket here.

Please do your best to arrive a couple minutes before 7pm ET/ 6pm CT/ 5pm MT/ 4pm PT if you haven't been to one of these before so you don't miss the intro, but feel free to come late if you need to-- you'll still be able to participate just fine!

If you've come to an online Skip the Small Talk before and would rather skip the intro, feel free to come at 7:10 pm ET/ 6:10 CT/ 5:10 MT/ 4:10 PT.

Skip the Small Talk is dedicated to providing an inclusive, welcoming environment for everyone. Check out our safety policy here.

Need accessibility accommodations?

Please see ticket page for more details.

Want to keep up with our events?

If you want to be the first to get access to tickets, and also get free exclusive content about how to improve your relationships, communicate more effectively, and more, join our mailing list at http://eepurl.com/cFVhMX (don't worry, we hate mailing lists, too-- we only e-mail when we have something useful to tell you about, like new events).

If you are interested in buying Skip the Small Talk question prompt cards to use in your everyday life, you can check those out here

###FYI that Meetup might say that "you're going" if you RSVP as "going," but you'll need to sign up at https://www.skipthesmalltalk.com/store/skip-the-small-talk-online-thursday-june-27-2024

This event is being cross-posted, so the number of RSVPs shown won't accurately reflect the number actually attending.

Hope to have you there!