The Secret to Small Talk

> I’m no better at making small talk now than I was before I met Eli.

I guess the title was written by an editor not the author.

> Eli D’Angelo has a superpower: the ability to win over strangers in seconds flat.

There seem to be two parts to the superpower. The first is a genuine interest in other people. Eli makes many mistakes, but always seems to genuinely care. People pick up on his caring and forgive his mistakes quickly. The second is practice. Eli seems to enthusiastically approach almost anyone and has likely been doing this since he was able to talk.