Ask These Questions Instead of “How Are You?”
As children, most people were taught to memorize certain dialogues so that they would be considered polite in everyday situations. Along with the words “please”, “thank you” and “nice to meet you”, we were instructed to ask someone how they were doing, either immediately afterward or as part of an initial greeting such as “hello” or “okay”. morning.”
Eventually, we also learn that the obligatory “How are you?” is just a formality. In most cases, people don’t actually ask about the other person’s well-being and don’t wait for an answer.
But what about those times when you are genuinely interested in how the person is doing in life, at work, or in another scenario? Skip “How are you?” and ask one of these questions instead.
Ask these questions instead of “How are you?”
Through her work as a happiness researcher and founder of The New Happy , an organization that promotes a new philosophy of happiness, Stephanie Harrison has learned that the key to contentment is creating and maintaining deep, meaningful relationships.
In a recent article for CNBC Make It , she says that developing these types of relationships requires interacting with people who go beyond small talk. To get to this point, Harrison recommends asking these questions instead of “How are you?” to evoke a more sincere response:
- – How are you?
- – How are you now?
- What’s on your mind lately?
- “If you were completely honest with me, how would you describe your feelings lately?”
- “What’s nice and what’s hard?”
- “What word would you use to describe your life right now?”
- “The last time we spoke, you were dealing with [Problem X]. How has it been lately?
- “What question would you like someone to ask you right now?”
Read the full article to learn more from Harrison.