When docked on stations, NPCs will occasionally start talking and when they do, a speech bubble appears over their head to help us identify them in a crowd.
This is our queue to undertake an optional mini game if we wish. There are quite a few conversational topic permutations from the mundane (chatting about holo dancers) to the serious (concerns about messing with AI). Since they add colour to the game world, they can be interesting.
Unfortunately, the discussions cannot be sped up or skipped and there are a finite number so in the end, it is possible to get frustrated by them. This is where the 'Boarderless Windowed mode' comes in handy as alt+tab to a website cuts the audio but lets you see how things progress if you keep the website clear of the subtitles. That's what I do anyway 
Finding 'smalltalk'
Since the chance of an NPC talking is random and not all NPCs will necessarily be the kind you would like to talk to, it is sensible to find a spot with lots of NPCs to increase the chance of a useful one talking early.
Good places to find groups of NPCs:
- Generally, the bunk rooms tend to hold up to ~6 NPCs so small talk normally starts within 10-20 seconds.
- In De Vries, a handy place is the Engineering platform as groups of NPCs tend to be at the docking platform.
- In Albion a handy spot is the Trade platform since groups can hang around in the first corridor.
- In Fields Of Opportunity, there are normally many Teladi in the main, central docking area.
Potential rewards from successful smalltalk (numbers corresponding with radial menu):
- Ask for: Discount (a discount for the station unless NPC is a Trader, than you could chose a discount with them instead).
- -not used-
- Ask about: Job applicant* (receive directions to best-skilled NPC, on their station's platform/area, of a chosen type - not great).
- Trade Updates (see below as not all NPCS offer it; they unlock continuous, real-time market info for the NPC's station).
- Give: Item (craftable gift unlock the option to learn location of a chosen NPC type with the best-skills in the zone*, or a 2nd mini game for Training Manuals).
- -not used-
*If wishing to look for higher-skilled crew via Smalltalk without using craftable gifts, it's best to do so in on platforms with many of the desired crew type. If using craftable items, then it make sense to do so in zones where the sidebar shows many of the desired types.
Trade Updates
These will only be offered by a subset of NPCs.
NPCs that can offer Trade Updates:
Arms Dealer
Inventory item traders (e.g. Food Merchant or Black Marketeer).
License broker
Mechanic
Recruitment Officer
Ship Dealer
Non-hirable station crew, which are working on a station (Defense Officer, Engineer, Manager or Specialists) - typically found on Administration platforms.
NPCs that never offer Trade Updates:
Architect (even if they are working on plot-rated NPC CVs)
Captain
Marine Officer
Pilot
Station crew if they are available for hire (Defense Officer, Engineer, Manager or Specialist).
Training Manuals
These are only available via the craftable gift option after the first smalltalk and if the second smalltalk was completed with a score of 9 or 10 points. Good completion of the second smalltalk allows us to ask for 'Training Manuals', which are unique to Smalltalk. They are available for various potentially important skills, such as Engineering, Leadership and Morale. A Training Manual can be used to add one star to the related skill of one of your hired NPC's primary, bold-highlighted skills (e.g. only Engineering for Engineers), to a maximum of 5 stars. Exactly which Training Manual you may be offered relates to the primary skills of the NPC in question so it is somewhat random in the sense that it is random as to which NPC may begin a smalltalk.