> The research may have been limited by the self-report method for data collection.

Makes me wonder if people good at small talk were doing small talk and people poor at small talk or with social anxiety were doing the self reporting?

So they could be accurately "blaming" themselves, if they see that they are the common factor why the small talk frequently seems to fail and others handle it with ease.

It's one of those things that the more you try to improve at it, the more you worry and the more it can hinder your performance - instead of making the most out of the present moment, which people naturally good at it would do.

In the end it's also a matter of mindset whether you find something awkward, or how much you care about it in the first place.