[ISL]

Small talk appears, on the surface, to have limited utility. With deeper study, though, it becomes clear that it is the impedance-matching that smooths the interaction between people.

There is a reason that almost everyone who works in deeply-human endeavors engages in it. It respects and acknowledges the humanity of interactions.

Just saying, "No." has a very different impact (and efficacy) than, "I respect and acknowledge you and your work, but that course of action simply isn't possible."