Overheard a guy at the diner talking about how he asks his kids 'what's the weirdest thing you learned today?'

I was grabbing a coffee at the Main Street Diner yesterday and the guy in the next booth was telling his friend about this thing he does with his kids. Every night at dinner, instead of asking 'how was school,' he asks them 'what's the weirdest thing you learned today?' He said it started because his son told him that a group of flamingos is called a 'flamboyance,' which is just a great word. It got me thinking about how we frame questions. Asking for the 'weirdest' thing makes people dig for the odd, fun fact they might not share otherwise, instead of the usual boring stuff. I tried it with my partner last night and she told me that some octopuses have three hearts, which I did not know. It turned a normal 'how was your day' chat into a fun little fact swap. It seems like a simple twist, but it really changes the energy of the conversation. Has anyone else tried asking questions in a different way to get more interesting answers?

3 comments

3 Comments

beth_park24d ago

Better than asking what they broke.

aaron88024d ago

Yeah, it's all about the angle you come at it from. Like @the_emma said, it forces actual thought. I've found the same thing happens if you ask for the most boring detail instead, people end up telling you the most oddly specific stuff. It's like our brains are wired to latch onto the exception, not the routine. Changing the question just gives that part permission to speak up.

the_emma24d ago

That's a pretty solid trick for getting past the usual one-word answers. I mean, asking for the weirdest thing forces a bit of actual thought. Might have to try that before my family just starts staring at their phones.