• loobkoob@kbin.social
    35·
    8 months ago

    My usual go-to is to ask what their latest/current obsession is. It works really well for a few reasons:

    • it’s nice and simple to ask - it doesn’t require a monologue/wall of text to set up, and it doesn’t require you to know anything about them to ask it;
    • it’s both as personal and as low-stakes as they want it to be. They can give very intimate, in-depth answers if they feel like it, or they can just mention something like the latest film they enjoyed. There’s no risk of making them uncomfortable by asking it;
    • it lets you filter out boring people who don’t really take interest in anything;
    • assuming they do have interests, it often gives you plenty of opportunities to dive into deeper conversation;
    • it’s often engaging for them because they get to talk about something they’re passionate about;
    • it’s often interesting for you because people talking about things they’re passionate about is awesome (and often attractive).
    • it’s pretty much always relevant and fresh because their latest obsession will change over time. This makes it particularly great for things like dating sites/apps because people’s bios will often be out of date and/or they’ll have talked about the things mentioned in their bio so much that they’re kind of sick of them.

    I’ve actually had multiple people on dating sites tell me how great a question they think it is, and that they’re going to use it themselves in the future. So obviously it’s not just me who thinks it’s a great question!

    • urshanabi [he/they]@lemmygrad.ml
      3·
      8 months ago

      I sometimes ask what has been keeping them busy, usually like that, I find it doesn’t work. What sort of phrasing do you use? Or is what I asking like really different from what you are referring to?

      • ElTacoEsMiPastor@lemmy.ml
        3·
        8 months ago

        Pretty different, I’d consider it. Something may keep me busy, while not being passionate about it.

        I (body) am normally busy bc of work-related shenanigans, but I (mind) am obsessed with the latest game installed on my PC.

    • lucullus@discuss.tchncs.de
      1·
      8 months ago

      That sounds really cool.

      @fellow_germans: How can I express this in german? The literal translation “Was ist deine aktuelle Obzession?” doesn’t sound right, because of the different meanings of obsession. Maybe “Welches Thema beschäftigt dich gerade?”, though this also doesn’t seem to have the correct ring to it.

  • Superfly Samurai@lemmy.one
    331·
    8 months ago

    I had a friend in college that would just say, “So, what’s your deal?”

    I’m shocked at how well it worked. Open ended, so you only get what they’re willing to talk about, but they’ll still be ok talking.

      • Superfly Samurai@lemmy.one
        10·
        8 months ago

        Delivery had a lot to do with softening the approach.

        Definitely not for all situations, but to be fair, no approach could be.

      • jcg@halubilo.social
        7·
        8 months ago

        “What’s YOUR deal?” sounds pretty aggressive, “what’s your DEAL?” sounds borderline inflammatory, but I think there’s a very neutral delivery without particular stress that sounds more like an open ended question than an aggression. Still, probably not great around fully sober folks.

    • cheesymoonshadow@lemmings.world
      2·
      8 months ago

      I can’t believe how easy it is to get a forklift certification. All online, never have to touch an actual forklift.

      I don’t know if that’s common knowledge, but I just found out because I went through the process myself to get certified.

      • kent_eh@lemmy.caEnglish
        2·
        8 months ago

        I can’t believe how easy it is to get a forklift certification.

        That varies by jurisdiction.

        Where I am, it requires a theory test and an in-person practical test.

        And you need to re-certify every 3 years.

        • cheesymoonshadow@lemmings.world
          2·
          8 months ago

          I’m in Illinois. After the online stuff, they sent me a certificate which has a signature line for someone at whatever company hires me, to be signed after they train me on the specific truck they have.

  • Corroded@leminal.spaceEnglish
    151·
    8 months ago

    How many hard boiled eggs do you think you can fit in your mouth?

    If they are an acquaintance from work or someone I see frequently it might make them laugh and if they give it a moment of thought they’re probably the kind of person I’d enjoy talking with.

    In all seriousness though someone already said asking what they are obsessed or passionate about at the moment and I’d probably go that direction. It’s nice to see people enthusiastic about stuff they really like especially if they don’t normally get a chance to talk about it.

    • kent_eh@lemmy.caEnglish
      2·
      8 months ago

      Luke : I can eat fifty eggs.

      Dragline : Nobody can eat fifty eggs.

      Society Red : You just said he could eat anything.

      Dragline : Did you ever eat fifty eggs?

      Luke : Nobody ever eat fifty eggs

  • ComradeKhoumrag@infosec.pub
    122·
    8 months ago

    My sister showed me a fun drinking game recently:

    One person closes their eyes until the other person/people decide on a number 1-10.

    After they all agree, the person opens their eyes then asks the group to rate an item from a category 1-10. Do this with 3 different categories. At the end, the person tries to guess which number was agreed on.

    So, the group could agree on 7/10 and the guesser could ask “types of beers” and the group could say lagunitas, skulpin, etc …

    Other good questions involve “people we both know”, “sexual experiences”…

  • Christian@lemmy.mlEnglish
    111·
    8 months ago

    Around this time of year one of my best conversation starters is “What’s your least favorite Christmas song?”. Everyone (at least here in the US) has at least one Christmas song that annoys the shit out of them, but you’ll get tons of different answers.