While most of these suggestions are terrible, think of the message they're trying to send: ask open ended questions that promote discussion and answer with real

While most of these suggestions are terrible, think of the message they're trying to send: ask open ended questions that promote discussion and answer with real answers. On asking open ended questions, I have a few questions I always fall back to. If meeting someone new, I ask "If you had to describe your life in one sentence, what would it be?". In an silent pause with friends I'll ask "if you had $10,000 and couldn't don anything rational, what would you spend it on?". On answering with real answers, I do just that. If asked how your day is going, say how you really feel instead of "good". Often this opens up a deeper discussion, but you can always choose to say "good" if that's socially appropriate.