When we are conducting a legacy film interview or making a presentation about family storytelling, people will often ask us where we get our good questions. We’ve been curating these for years. Just like you might collect corks, coins, comics, books, sports memorabilia, or fine art, we collect questions! We often share these on our social media, and, now, we’ve compiled them by category in a handy list for you, along with some of our favorite resources & books.
So….bookmark this link, and when you are headed to your next event, hosting your next holiday gathering or dinner party, wondering what to discuss on a long road trip, or conducting a business meeting, try one of these questions on for size. Discover what is possible with a good question! And follow us on social media for more good questions & resources. Share with others, so that they can connect too.
Ice Breakers – Questions easy enough to ask a total stranger
- What’s your favorite kind of candy?
- What book are you currently reading?
- What’s an app you can hardly live without?
Looking Back – Questions that might take us back to our childhood, our families of origin, and more.
- What’s the first thing you can remember in your life?
- What national or world events have been significant to you?
- What did you dream of doing for work when you were younger?
- What was your favorite childhood meal?
BONUS from the Family Dinner Project: A fun game for around the table that helps us look back & explore family memories. Family Dinner Project has lots of great games & questions: thefamilydinnerproject.org
Months, Holidays, & Seasons – Questions to ask at the end of a month, on or around a special holiday, or during each new season of the calendar year
- What are you most looking forward to this month?
- MLK Day: Tell a story about a time when you realized how much community mattered.
- Super Bowl Sunday
- A fun Valentine’s Idea to get people talking
- Graduation: What’s the best commencement speech you’ve ever heard?
- Summer Journaling: bit.ly/SacredStoriesSummer
- US Independence Day: What’s your earliest memory of July 4th?
- What is a favorite summer memory? (Fill in any season here)
- Back to School Season
- Grandparents Day: “25 Questions to ask for National Grandparents Day” [Macaroni Kid]
- Halloween: How did you celebrate Halloween as a child? What were your favorite costumes and places to go trick-or-treating?
- Election Season
- What’s a favorite tradition that adds meaning to your holiday?
- What foods are bringing you comfort and love this season?
- Thanksgiving
- End of Year Reflections: What was the best thing that happened this past year? What was the most challenging thing that happened? What was an unexpected joy? What was the best book you read this year? We also wrote a blog post about this here: sacredstoriesfilms.com/new-year-reflections-2020
- Birthdays
People, Places & Things – Questions that help you learn more about what matters to another person
- Who is a great boss or leader you’ve known?
- Who is a special woman in your life? How has she influenced you?
- Who has been a positive influence on your life & what did they teach you?
- Is there a specific house from your childhood that means something to you?
- What precious object is part of your family history?
- What’s a meaningful, memorable, or thoughtful give you’ve received?
More Good Prompts – Questions that help you go deeper with a friend or loved one
- What is the most interesting weather you have ever seen?
- What did you do today that was helpful to someone else?
- “What habit would you most like to break? What habit would you like to start?”
- What is the best thing that happened to you today?
- When was the last time you used the words “thank you”?
- What would your book be about?
- What does bravery mean to you? What is something you have done that felt brave?
- If you were talking to a person exactly like you, what advice would you give them?
- When is the last time someone really listened to you?
- What’s an image that lives in your heart but not on your phone?
- What represents a good good-bye in your life?
- What is something that has given you a new perspective on living?
- What’s a kindness you’ve been shown in life?
- What’s the most outrageous thing you saw today?
- What’s the most beautiful thing you’ve seen today? This week?
- Who is your hero?
We also created this free printable with more conversation starters. Cut them out, put them in a jar, and let the conversations start to flow.
More helpful resources packed full of questions:
- 36 Questions that help kids make fast friends [Greater Good]
- 6-word memoirs are an easy idea to get people talking. What’s yours?
- Thoughts from me (Whitney Myers) on asking the right questions
- Questions to use at the end of the day. These are great for personal reflection or to use with loved ones.
- Food is one of our favorite topics. These questions inspire good conversation about family recipes.
- Mental Health is an important topic. These questions are useful when considering self-care.
- StoryCorp — Our “go-to resource” for questions on all sorts of topics.
Books about Questions – Borrow from your local library or purchase wherever you buy books (however these might be something you want to own!)
- Life is in the Transitions by Bruce Feiler
- Essential Questions by Elizabeth Keating, PhD
- For You When I’m Gone: 12 Essential Questions to Tell Your Life Story by Steve Leder
- Book of Questions by Warren Berger
- 14 Talks by Age 14 by Michelle Icard
Games to Play – There are lots of games you can buy that help encourage story-sharing. Here are a few of our favorites.
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