Group Chat Litty: What Questions Will You Ask Tomorrow?
A challenge to you on Thanksgiving.
I had a whole other post edited and ready to go for today. It was about Hearst botching its layoffs last week, which should serve as a reminder heading into this pressure-filled holiday that no one—not a one—knows what they’re doing.
However, as I was editing it, it struck me as negative, and this is an intel club of positivity. So, I’m scrapping that post (maybe I’ll send it to my paid subscribers as a bonus later today?) and substituting the following thoughts for you instead.
Or, rather, a challenge.
To prepare for Thanksgiving, I urge you to think about what questions you’ll ask your friends and family.
When most of us are staring down an impending social gathering, we think of how we’re going to respond to prompts like, “How’s work going?” “Are you seeing anyone?” or “Do you have any kids/vacations planned soon?”
In these scenarios, the focus is on us… because why wouldn’t it be? We’re wrapped up in our own worlds and have hangups or sensitivities to work through. But, this angle makes us pretty bad at getting to know each other. We’re so concerned with how we might come off that we fail to recognize opportunities to make genuine connections with those around us.
You may have experienced this firsthand. You know those conversations that feel one-sided? The ones where, afterward, you realize you’ve just been talked at for 20 minutes? (Or, worse, you were doing the blabbing?) It didn’t matter what you said or did—the other person was just totally consumed by unloading onto you. You feel drained and used. You have listening fatigue.
I believe these awful interactions can be eliminated if everyone tapped into their curiosity just a little bit more. Take the focus off of you. Get out of your own head. Stop talking about the damn food. Think: What’s something new that you can learn about the people in your life?
Questions are the start, and there are tons to choose from. Tomorrow is your opportunity. Get creative, go deep, keep it positive, nonpolitical, and open your ears, mind, and maybe even heart to the stories of others.
I wish you all a very happy and healthy Thanksgiving! Thank you so much for reading Fire Edits—you’ve given me a ton to be grateful for, and I love hearing from all of you.