4 ms·
I stopped asking people what they do, and instead ask ‘what are you about’ - always gets an interesting answer, after the initial perplexity of the question.
by medion 4y ago
I stopped asking people what they do, and instead ask ‘what are you about’ - always gets an interesting answer, after the initial perplexity of the question.
- cout 4y agoI like to say "tell me a story". What kind of story, you ask? Any story. I like true stories, but you can make something up too. The conversation ends up a lot less awkward than going off script after talking about what you do for a living.
- SturgeonsLaw 4y agoI would hate this lol. Something about the way my brain works is that I just can't come up with something when put on the spot like that. I've done all sorts of interesting shit over my lifetime, some of which I think only a very small percentage of the population would have done, my mind is constantly running along tangents and my thoughts straddle the technical, the creative, the dreamlike, the concrete, and everything in between, but if I was asked to come up with a story out of the blue, the wheels would grind to a halt and I'd be a stammering mess. However I know some people with whom this opener would really light a spark.
- rationalist 4y agoTo me, asking for a story would come off as being asked to entertain you. If you asked, "Anything interesting going on?" It sounds like that would accomplish what you're seeking and still be open-ended.