We ask these questions all the time. When we meet people for the first time and ask closed-ended questions, the conversation may abruptly halt and create awkward moments. When you use open-ended questions, the question is so big and abstract that the person responding may have difficulty sharing “how much” information.
Instead, employ the “half open-ended question” method. This is when you create more specificity into the open-ended question method. Here’s a few example:
- “What’s your favorite thing about working in your current job?”
- “What’s the hardest thing from taking this class?”
- “What makes this season the busiest time in life?”
A small thing like adding a bit more specificity can make all the difference.
4.Use Questions to Elicit Interesting Episodes to Connect With Anyone.
Master connectors learn from one of the most commonly used interview strategies today: behavioral interviews. Instead of asking “general questions” such as ”
- “What’s your strength?”
- “What’s your dream job?”
- “What’s the most important thing you have learned from your role as a customer service rep?”
A lot of times, these questions are often responded with quite abstract terms. Rather, behavioral interviews focused on specific, concrete examples of the past that demonstrate certain qualities. Here’s a few examples:
- “Can you tell me about an experience in your current role where your strength came to limelight?”
- “What’s your current role at work? Tell me a success story of one of your accomplishments this year.”
One caveat is ensuring that you focus on both tact and tone. These questions can often sound intimidating. So, it’s important to sound genuine and interested, not like an interrogator. When you use this method here’s a few examples of what it might sound like in a conversation:
- “Oh. I see. Interesting. So what specifically happened after that?”
- “So what happened to that guy after it happened?”
5. Leverage the Power of Research to Connect With Anyone.
We live in a world where transparency is the currency of relationship and information is free on the internet. Whether it’s a blog, Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram, this creates an opportunity for master connectors to do pre-work to ask the right questions when you meet the person for the first time.
Whether you are preparing for an interview, going out on a date, or preparing for a networking session, I always spend 30 minutes to an hour to really research the person. I immediately think about what do I share in common? Also, I might follow the person beforehand and read their tweets to see what kind of information this person is interested in.
My Favorite Books On Building Social Intelligence:
- Never Eat Alone: And Other Secrets to Success, One Relationship (by Keith Ferrazzi)
- Give and Take: Why Helping Others Drives Our Success (by Adam Grant)
- Social Intelligence: The New Science of Success (by Karl Albrecht)
Question: Which Areas Do You Plan To Focus On To Upgrade Your Connection Skills?
This article about how to connect with anyone originally appeared here.
