The Best Question You Can Ask a Stranger

“Where are you from?” is the definitive best question you can ask someone. Want to know why I think so? Keep reading, I’ll keep it brief.

“Where are you from?” is the best because it is the most open ended question you can ask. It gives the person responding so many potential responses: where they grew up, where they call home, where they lived the longest, where they live now, and so on.

Each of these gives the responder options on the emotional depth shared as well. For example, “where they live now” is a more shallow of a conversation then “where they call home.”

Also, his/her response almost always leads to easy follow up questions: Why is that home to you? What are your favorite things to do when you visit? Where did you move from? Why did you move?

When I use “where are you from?” as my lead question, I open up an easy and organic dialogue that gives the person responding the option to share as little or as much as he/she is comfortable with. It also establishes a wide foundation that both parties can fallback on if the conversation ever stagnates.

I use this as my lead question with almost every new encounter I make. Hopefully it helps someone out there like it has helped me.