Questions to get to know someone work best when they feel like an invitation, not a test. Choose prompts that match the setting, ask one at a time, and listen for the themes behind their answers. When you follow up with curiosity—“What was that like?” or “How did that start?”—conversation starts to feel less like performance and more like meeting a person.
If you remember one thing, make it this: you’re not trying to “get information.” You’re building comfort. The right questions create room for stories, and stories are what turn strangers into friends, colleagues into allies, and first dates into something sturdier.
