Publishers Weekly
Bestseller

Amazon’s Staff Pick Recommendation

Barnes & Noble
Bestseller

Porchlight
Bestseller

Turning Small Talk into Big Talk

Make every conversation count.

In Turning Small Talk into Big Talk, Jan Janura helps readers move below the surface and experience deep, meaningful conversations that are not only interesting but even life-changing.

When you find yourself engaged in conversations with business associates, team members, or even family or causal relationships, this book can help you turn every opportunity of dialogue into something meaningful for you and them.

Available NOW wherever books are sold.

Turning Small Talk into Big Talk Awards

Publishers Weekly Bestseller

Amazon’s Staff Pick Recommendation

Barnes & Noble Bestseller

Porchlight Bestseller

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What Others Are Saying

Jan Janura is among the most generous of men and also among the most cheerful and curious. All of that —the generosity, the good humor, the inquisitiveness — is here packaged and offered to everyone. Life is endlessly fascinating if you know how to ask the...
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Hugh Hewitt
radio talk show host, attorney, and author
Jan Janura is among the most generous of men and also among the most cheerful and curious. All of that —the generosity, the good humor, the inquisitiveness— is here packaged and offered to everyone. Life is endlessly fascinating if you know how to ask the right questions. Here in your hands is a primer.
Hugh Hewitt
radio talk show host, attorney, and author
People long for great conversations more than they hunger for monologues. Speaking is a skill, but posing questions is an art form that values people and enhances communication. Jan Janura has mastered the skill of personal inquiry that few can match, but this book will be a masterclass that will ...
Read More
Bob Shank
founder and CEO of The Master’s Program
People long for great conversations more than they hunger for monologues. Speaking is a skill, but posing questions is an art form that values people and enhances communication. Jan Janura has mastered the skill of personal inquiry that few can match, but this book will be a masterclass that will take you to new levels in valuing people and refining relationships!
Bob Shank
founder and CEO of The Master’s Program
Several years ago I urged Jan to write this book because he’s a master of creating good conversation. He knows the questions to ask and how to turn chitchat into something eternal. I think you’ll find this guide immensely practical and exciting.”
John Eldredge
bestselling author of Wild at Heart and Resilient
Several years ago I urged Jan to write this book because he’s a master of creating good conversation. He knows the questions to ask and how to turn chitchat into something eternal. I think you’ll find this guide immensely practical and exciting.”
John Eldredge
bestselling author of Wild at Heart and Resilient
My friend Jan Janura has a big personality and an even bigger heart. Jan never meets a stranger, and his new book Turning Small Talk into Big Talk is a must -read for anyone who cares about examining life’s big questions and developing meaningful relationships.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders
former White House press secretary
My friend Jan Janura has a big personality and an even bigger heart. Jan never meets a stranger, and his new book Turning Small Talk into Big Talk is a must -read for anyone who cares about examining life’s big questions and developing meaningful relationships.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders
former White House press secretary
There’s never a dull dinner party if Jan is hosting. I know...because I’m married to him!! When it comes to understanding how conversations can be taken to new levels of significance, Jan really gets it …and does it! Read this book and you will be better equipped...
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Carol Anderson
cofounder of CAbi
There’s never a dull dinner party if Jan is hosting. I know...because I’m married to him!! When it comes to understanding how conversations can be taken to new levels of significance, Jan really gets it…and does it! Read this book and you will be better equipped to do the same.”
Carol Anderson
cofounder of CAbi

Turning Small Talk Into Big Talk

When is the last time you had a significant conversation with your spouse, your kids, your best friend, your neighbor, or a close business associate?

No, not small talk. We do enough of that with our fingers in five-word text “conversations” or in dull, surface-level, face-to-face interactions. Small talk isn’t getting us anywhere.

What we need today more than ever is “Big Talk,” real conversations in which we dig deep into our souls and discuss intriguing topics that truly shape the world and impact our daily lives.

Read More

Conversation is undoubtedly the most important part of a relationship, whether it’s business, personal, or spiritual. It’s the only way to truly get to know someone, and it’s the best method in strengthening your bond with a business partner, spouse, friends, your children, and even God.

Each of us wants to interact with others, and all of us want to be heard. The conversations we each have can truly change the world—or destroy it—and the words, questions, and answers each of us use (or don’t use) can alter our own life and the lives of everyone around us.

So, why wouldn’t we choose to make our conversations as impactful and memorable as we can?

About Jan Janura

Jan Janura is a serial entrepreneur, out-of-the-box innovator, and, according to Gallup’s StrengthsFinder test, a futurologist. His insight has helped him establish prosperous businesses across a diverse range of markets.

A highly driven business leader, Jan’s entrepreneurial career took off in 1977 after receiving a phone call from his friend and now-wife Carol Anderson. Carol had plans to walk away from her job in design—but wanted to stay in the industry—and Jan felt a calling to pioneer a new business venture, so together they forged a partnership.

Full Bio

With Carol’s vision for fashion and Jan’s business insight, Carol Anderson by Invitation (CAbi) was created. It became the solution to traditional shopping. Twenty-five years after its inception, cabi became the largest women’s fashion retailer not limited to a physical storefront. In less than ten years, cabi was a multimillion-dollar enterprise.

In 1982, Jan combined hobby and passion when he started The Wild Adventure. Multiple times each summer, Jan hosts a group of men at his Smiling Moose Ranch in Montana for a one-week excursion. He leads them in open discussion about life’s big questions, and they relish in the scenic views surrounding his ranch and spend the majority of their time fly fishing on the Madison River.

When he is not busy developing a new business venture, Jan is occupied with his other hobbies. You can find him in his backyard fly fishing on the Madison River, on the golf course, or reading a book.

Turning Small Talk Into Big Talk

In Turning Small Talk into Big Talk, Jan Janura unpacks the simple, easy-to-apply method he’s used throughout his career to turn dinner parties and other gatherings into fun, interesting, sometimes life- and career-changing experiences.

Small talk is awful, awkward, and ultimately useless—and everyone knows it.

When is the last time you had a significant conversation with your spouse, your kids, your best friend, your neighbor, or a close business associate?

No, not small talk. We do enough of that with our fingers in five-word text “conversations” or in dull, surface-level, face-to-face interactions. Small talk isn’t getting us anywhere.

What we need today more than ever is “Big Talk,” real conversations in which we dig deep into our souls and discuss intriguing topics that truly shape the world and impact our daily lives.

Read More

Conversation is undoubtedly the most important part of a relationship, whether it’s business, personal, or spiritual. It’s the only way to truly get to know someone, and it’s the best method in strengthening your bond with a business partner, spouse, friends, your children, and even God.

Each of us wants to interact with others, and all of us want to be heard. The conversations we each have can truly change the world—or destroy it—and the words, questions, and answers each of us use (or don’t use) can alter our own life and the lives of everyone around us.

So, why wouldn’t we choose to make our conversations as impactful and memorable as we can?

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