Chose your small talk topic

Frank McKinney Hubbard very well knew the "the power of the weather" because, being a humorist and a journalist, he knew how quickly to start a conversation or get approval from the audience. Weather is, of course, a king of small talks. On the other hand, I suggest you pay attention to people who can start a conversation without the weather - these are the rare ones, but they are always the leaders, the loudest ones and the most educated ones. Try starting your speech from something else than the weather, and you'll always be surrounded with the attention ;)