How to Skip Small Talk and Get to Know Someone

Noticing the time on a text message (3:04 a.m.) that came in from a Millennial one morning, I asked if he had been working that late. “No, I went out to meet someone at a coffee shop about midnight. Just thought I’d answer your earlier text as I walked home.”

“Out to meet someone after midnight? Must be a good friend.”

“Not yet. But I wanted to get to know her better. And she needed someone to listen. When there are so many people around at a party, you can’t really talk about important st...