When you meet someone for the first time in a social situation, do you ask the same old questions? “What do you do for a living?” “How many kids do you have?” “Are you vaccinated?” (Okay, maybe we should stay away from that one…)
As you prepare for your weekend of socializing, here is the first of Friday Conversation Starters, based on “The Complete Book of Questions” by Garry Poole. It runs the gamut of very light get-to-know-you questions to more serious ponderances that you can do with friends at a party, during your lunch break, or with a small group.
1st Question: “What’s something you’ve won, and how did you win it?”
My Answer: When I was in my early 20’s working as an Assistant Manager for a well-known women’s’ clothing store, there was a year-long contest for all the stores in the country. Each month, one winner from each of the six regions would win a 3-day trip to New York with the company’s Accessory Buyer and visit some of the vendors. It was all-expenses paid, staying in a hotel across from Central Park and dining in Greenwich Village, to name a few fun things. Because my store was the largest in the country, it was impossible for me to win the way the contest was set up, but because of the volume of handbags I sold, the Accessory Buyer herself called and invited me as her guest on the next trip. And since she and several of the company’s executives were flying from New York to my store in Chicago, I got to fly back with them on the company jet! Pretty exciting!
