Questions That Open a Story
You don't need a list of questions. You only need one that opens a door.
Choose somewhere to begin. Find a question that makes you curious. Then ask it and see where the story goes.
Where would you like to begin?
~ Who is someone from your life I should know about? ~
~ Who made you feel understood when you were younger? ~
~ Who is someone you haven't thought about in a long time, but still remember clearly? ~
People
Choose one. Ask it. Listen.
~ What did an ordinary day look like when you were younger? ~
~ What was something you looked forward to each week? ~
~ What is something you used to do all the time that people rarely do now? ~
Everyday Life
Choose one. Ask it. Listen.
~ What place from your past can you still picture clearly? ~
~ If I could visit the place where you grew up, what would you want to show me? ~
~ Is there a place that used to be important to you but is no longer there — or no longer the same? ~
Places
Choose one. Ask it. Listen.
~ When you were my age, what did you imagine your life would be like? ~
~ What mattered to you most when you were my age? ~
~ What is something you did at my age that might surprise me? ~
When You Were My Age
Choose one. Ask it. Listen.
First Times
~ What is a first time in your life that you can still remember clearly? ~
~ What do you remember about your first job? ~
~ When was the first time you did something completely on your own? ~
Choose one. Ask it. Listen.
Questions I Would Never Think to Ask
~ What is something about your life I would probably never know unless you told me? ~
~ What is something completely ordinary from your past that you still remember for no particular reason? ~
~ What is something you know how to do that nobody ever thought to ask you about? ~
Choose one. Ask it. Listen.
One question is enough.
You don't need to know where the conversation will go.