There’s a Father Brown story which has the extreme of that: https://standardebooks.org/ebooks/g-k-chesterton/the-secret-...

But in general yes - have a few or tens of stories you’ve rehearsed through long use, and practice ways to segue to one of them.

Once you get a handle for the few topics of small talk, it’s not terribly hard - and is a skill that can be taught and learned.