14 Questions To Create Temporary Familiarity

I started asking friends and family these questions a few years ago. I’ve always been interested in the way people think and respond to things, so I thought it would be fun to create some temporary familiarity with these questions that would help us connect on a deeper level. 

And it was! During my journey of interviewing almost 100 people, I learned that some people were better at answering certain questions than others (black sheep!). 

But everyone had a story. These 14 questions are my favorite ones the ones that helped get the most interesting stories out of people.

Questions to Ask on The First Date – YouTube
Takeaways
1. Asking questions can create a sense of familiarity.
2. Temporary familiarity builds engagement.
3. Strategic questions can evoke emotional connections.
4. Use open-ended questions for deeper engagement.
5. Asking about personal experiences fosters connection.
6. Temporary familiarity paves the way for further interactions.
7. Questions should relate to the audience’s interests.
8. Tailoring questions enhances personalization.
9. Curiosity-driven questions spark intrigue.
10. Temporary familiarity aids in building rapport.
11. Thought-provoking questions stimulate engagement.
12. Consistent interactions deepen familiarity.
13. Meaningful questions lead to memorable interactions.
14. Temporary familiarity sets the stage for long-term connections.

1. What Is Your Favorite Ice Cream?

The favorite ice cream question is always fun to answer. It’s just like that moment when you ask someone what their favorite song is, and then you start talking about it and five minutes later, you’re both singing the chorus together and laughing about how much fun it is! 

You can make this work in any setting: at a party, over dinner or drinks with friends or family (or even alone), on a first date… Anywhere the conversation might be getting stale or awkward.

The reason this question works so well is that people love talking about themselves (because they think they are interesting), but if they don’t know how else to express themselves in conversation, they might not have much else to say besides “Me too” or “I agree.” 

So if someone says their favorite ice cream flavor is vanilla bean fudge ripple with chocolate chips on top.

You will get them excited because they’ll probably want to tell you more about why vanilla bean fudge ripple with chocolate chips on top was their number one choice instead of cherry cheesecake swirl–am I right? 

And maybe by asking a few follow-up questions like whether there’s anything else special about this particular flavor combo–you’ll discover that all other ice creams pale in comparison because of how creamy and delicious each bite tastes!

Engaging in meaningful conversations with your audience is a cornerstone of successful marketing. Learn how to foster these connections in our article on Inbound Marketing: Conversations, Not Buzzwords.

2. What Would You Do With A Million Dollars?

If you had a million dollars in your pocket, what would you do? Would you donate it to charity? Invest in a business? Take a vacation? Pay off debt and buy a house? Pay for education for yourself or someone else? 

Or maybe even buy the best wedding gift ever for your friend who’s about to get married or, better yet, pay for their whole wedding!

Whatever it is that money can do for us is often driven by how we think about our relationship with money. If we’re too attached to money and view it as an end in itself rather than as a means of living well, then chances are high that we’d choose to spend all of our millions on ourselves. 

But if we see ourselves as having enough (which is different than being rich), then our generosity grows because this attitude allows us to feel more comfortable in giving away resources without feeling like we’ve lost something important.

3. If You Could Spend The Day With One Person Who Has Died, Who Would It Be?

This is another interesting question to ask your friend. If you could spend the day with any person who has died, who would it be? It’s not just about spending time with them and getting to know them better; it’s about what you would do with them.

Ask the friend questions that will give you a good understanding of why this person was important in their life and what they did for them. These are the key factors in helping you create temporary familiarity between yourself and your subject matter expert.

4. What Do You Think One Should Never Lie About?

This question is asking about your feelings about lying. It’s a good opportunity for you to share what you think about deceitful behavior, and how it can affect both you and the people around you.

If the answer is “never,” that means that honesty is always the best policy. So far, so good! If someone lies to us, they’re not being honest with us which means they aren’t taking our feelings into account. 

But if we lie out of fear or embarrassment (like when we cut off someone who’s asking us an uncomfortable question).

Then it might make sense that there’s something wrong with being honest in that situation: maybe being more direct would be more effective than avoiding the topic altogether?

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5. What’s Your Most Prized Possession?

When it comes to creating a temporary familiarity, the most important thing is to ask questions that allow you to get closer and be more familiar with your partner. For this step of the process to be successful, you need to share information about yourself. 

Your goal should be for both partners in the relationship (you and your partner) will feel as if they know each other better by the end of this activity than when they started.

The best way to accomplish this is by asking questions that are open-ended instead of ones that have yes/no answers. This means that instead of asking whether or not someone likes dogs or cats, try asking them why they like dogs or cats so much! 

By doing so, not only will it help both parties learn more about each other but also allow them to make connections with common interests between each other which can lead to future conversations later on down the road as well!

6. What’s The Best Thing That Happened To You This Past Week?

You can always ask the most basic of questions, such as “What’s the best thing that happened to you this past week?” or “What was the worst thing that happened to you this past week?” 

If they don’t have an answer prepared for these, it might mean they didn’t do anything interesting at all.

To continue from there, you can also ask them about their day-to-day activities and the things they do every day that might not be exciting but are still important parts of their daily lives. For example:

  • What did you eat for breakfast today?
  • What did you do during your commute to work today (if applicable)?
  • What was your favorite part of lunch break today (if applicable)?

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7. When Was The Last Time You Did Something For The First Time And What Was It?

When was the last time you did something for the first time and what was it?

This question can be a great way to get people to open up about their experiences. It’s not easy for some people to share their stories, but asking them when they did something novel might just make them more comfortable with sharing it.

You could ask this question of people who are close friends or family members, or it could be used in a business setting as well (if you want). Just make sure that you aren’t being too invasive by asking this question if someone doesn’t seem interested in talking about it!

8. What’s A Relationship Dealbreaker For You?

For me, it’s something that I’ve always held: if they don’t love me. If they don’t respect me and treat me with care and compassion, then how could we ever build a healthy future together? 

It’s the same with trust; if someone doesn’t have your back in any way, shape, or form, then why would you want to spend more time with that person? Communication is so important too you can’t go anywhere without communication! 

Finally, compromise is key when it comes to relationships. Without compromising on some things (like who does what chores), there will never be an equal partnership between two people.

9. Do You Have Any Pet Peeves Or Things That Just Irk You?

Don’t be late. That’s it. I can’t stand it when people are late, or even worse if they’re chronically late and never apologize for it. It just shows a lack of respect for other people’s time not to mention their own!

Don’t be lazy: don’t waste energy on things that aren’t important to you or your work; try your best to always be productive in some way

Don’t be a know-it-all: no one knows everything about anything (though some celebrities come close), so don’t act as you do; instead, take pride in what you do know by sharing information with others who may need help understanding something new or complicated

Don’t be a complainer: complaining is just another way of saying “I hate my life because everything around me sucks” but guess what? 

YOU CAN MAKE YOUR OWN LIFE BETTER IF YOU WANT TO !!! AND THAT IS THE BEST PART OF IT ALL!!! It takes some work but it will happen if only you try!!

10. What Is Your Favorite Animal And Why?

Besides the fact that they are just plain adorable, animals can be excellent companions. They’re great for learning about the natural world and they can also be used as therapy tools for people who don’t have many friends or family members nearby.

For example, some schools have started using dogs as teaching aids, where students are taught to read by having the pup read aloud to them! As you probably know, dogs aren’t able to do much more than bark… but it’s a good way to get kids interested in reading!

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11. If You Could Go On A Spontaneous Road Trip Right Now, Where Would You Go And Why?

A road trip is an excellent way to get out of your routine and enjoy the world around you. The sights, sounds, smells, and people you meet along the way are all part of the experience. But if you’re going on a spontaneous road trip right now, where would you go? 

You can explain why this location was chosen (or dreamed up) by describing what it looks like and how it feels when you think about it. 

Or maybe there’s something special about that place that makes it worth visiting when time allows for spontaneity maybe there’s a beautiful beach nearby or an amazing restaurant in town that serves food from another country! 

Whatever your reason for choosing this location over any other spot on Earth (or even in outer space), it’s sure to be memorable and fun!

12. How Do You Deal With Stress In Your Life?

There are many ways to deal with stress in your life. Here are a few:

  • Get a massage
  • Go for a walk
  • Meditate or do yoga (or both!)
  • Talk to a friend or family member who you can trust, even if it’s just in person or over the phone
  • Listen to music you love and turn up the volume until it’s loud enough that no one can hear what other people are saying around you as they try to talk about how stressed out they are too! 

If someone else wants some alone time, give them some space so that they don’t feel like they have to be social all the time! 

The world is full of crazy people who want something from everyone but don’t care about anyone; if someone doesn’t want help when their lives are falling apart around them then maybe we should just leave them be? 

But if possible I’d recommend getting some fresh air instead because pollution levels have gotten pretty high lately…

13. If Someone Made A Movie Of Your Life, Who Would Play You And What Genre Would It Be?

Would you want to be a character in your movie? Would you want to be the star or would you prefer to play a role that represents an important piece of your life?

What genre would your life story be? Your answers can give you insight into how others view the world:

  • In what type of movie do people see themselves?
  • What kinds of characters do they like watching on screen? (and why)
  • How does that fit with how they see themselves and their own lives, relationships, and achievements in general?

14. How Do You Feel About Children?

If you’re looking to make a new friend but you’re not sure where to start, try asking them about their feelings on children. Since everyone has had a child (or at least met one), this will allow you to create some common ground.

How do you feel about children?

Children are a blessing from God! They bring joy into the world and remind us of His greatness. Children also teach us that we don’t need so much stuff in life what’s important is love and family. 

As a bonus, my dog loves when I come home because she knows she gets extra attention from me!

Children are a joy! Sometimes they can be challenging but they always bring happiness into your life and they help keep me young at heart because I love being around them so much! 

Whenever things get tough or stressful it’s nice knowing that there’s always someone waiting for me at home who needs my help or just wants some quality time together as a family unit!

Unlock the secrets behind successful hyper-personalized marketing strategies. Dive into our insights-packed article: The Secret to Hyper-Personalized Marketing Strategies, where you’ll find valuable tips to establish meaningful connections with your customers.

Conclusion

As you can see, these questions are designed to make people feel comfortable and create temporary familiarity. You can use them in any situation where you want to break the ice with someone or create a friendly environment. 

They’re also great for people who want to get better at talking about themselves because they provide an easy way to do so without being self-centered.

Further Reading

Explore these resources to gain more insights into related topics:

Interviewing for Learning and Development Roles: Common Questions
Learn about interview questions commonly asked for learning and development roles and prepare effectively for your next interview.

Recruit Top Sales Reps with These 25 Interview Questions
Discover a comprehensive list of sales interview questions that can help you identify and hire the best sales representatives for your team.

Exploring the Impact of Learning and Development on Employee Performance
Delve into a research article that examines the relationship between learning and development programs and their impact on employee performance.

FAQs

What are some common interview questions for learning and development roles?

Interview questions for learning and development roles often focus on assessing a candidate’s instructional design skills, experience with training programs, and ability to facilitate professional growth within an organization.

How can I recruit the best sales representatives for my team?

Recruiting top sales reps involves evaluating their communication skills, track record of meeting sales targets, understanding of the sales process, and alignment with your company’s values and goals.

What insights can I gather from the impact of learning and development on employee performance?

The impact of learning and development on employee performance can offer valuable insights into the effectiveness of training programs, skill enhancement, and overall organizational growth.

What skills should I emphasize when interviewing for learning and development positions?

When interviewing for learning and development positions, emphasize your expertise in instructional design, curriculum development, training delivery, and your ability to foster a culture of continuous learning.

How does employee performance correlate with learning and development initiatives?

Employee performance often benefits from well-designed learning and development initiatives that enhance skills, boost confidence, and foster a proactive approach to professional growth.