Take a Brake: 17 Questions to Ask Other Than "What Do You Do?"
Language is a powerful tool that can shift culture and behavior, and we can use it to support healthier habits in the workplace. To get started, grab some friends and colleagues and use the following 17 questions to relate to one another in a more holistic manner.
Words: SARAH MAGIDOFF
Asking “what do you do?” is the culturally-conditioned, ubiquitous question we ask each other when meeting for the first time. Though an effective conversation starter, its hierarchy at the onset of a new relationship can errantly reinforce the idea that what we do is the most important or interesting attribute of our ourselves. While our contributions to world are important, they are one component of our excitingly complex existences.
With this in-mind, I’ve compiled the following list of 17 Questions to Ask Other Than “What Do You Do?” Share it amongst friends and colleagues, and together, practice new ways of relating to one another in a manner that examines each individual as a whole.
17 QUESTIONS TO ASK OTHER THAN “WHAT DO YOU DO?”:
1. What brought you here today?
2. How do you know (the host)?
3. Describe yourself in three words.
4. How would your closest friends describe you?
5. What is something most people don’t know about you?
6. What’s your Enneagram/Meyers Briggs/Human Design type?
7. Are you an introvert or an extrovert?
8. What is your favorite thing about yourself?
9. What is the nicest thing someone has ever said about you?
10. What piece of advice do you keep close to your heart?
11. If you could snap your fingers and change one thing about humanity, what would that be?
12. What is the last thing that made you belly laugh?
13. What is your favorite thing to do on a day-off?
14. Where did you grow up?
15. What is your family like?
16. Are you planning any trips that you’re excited about?
17. How do you think 15-year-old you would react to you today?
It may feel awkward, at first, jumping-in to some of the more personal questions. In these cases, try letting people in on your experiment! You might preface with an introduction like, “I’m experimenting with asking questions other than ‘what do you do?’, so I’m wondering ... (your question here)?”