5 ways to get to know someone without using cookie-cutter questions

5 ways to get to know someone without using cookie-cutter questions5 ways to get to know someone without using cookie-cutter questionsWhen it comes to networking events, theres a whole world of topics that you could potentially ask someone about. So, why not try asking about something that will let you in on who they really are?Here are a few lightheartedicebreakers that you can use when you want to get to know someone.Ask them about their personalityAn Indeed Career Guide post features the question, Which season fits your personality best - spring, summer, fall, or winter - and why?There are so many ways to answer, but whatever response you get is sure to make you feel like you learned something new and entertaining.Maybe some of their personality will be extra obvious during the rest of your conversationLadders is now on SmartNewsDownload the SmartNews app and add the Ladders channel to read the latest career news and advice wherever you go.Ask them about their pastDavid Burkus, an author and Associate Professor of Leadership and Innovation at Oral Roberts University, features questions that you can rumliche lage to people - excluding What do you do? in the Harvard Business Review.One of them is, Where did you grow up?This question dives into others backgrounds (but in a much less assertive and loaded way than Where are you from?), Burkus writes, and allows them to answer with simple details from childhood or to engage in their story of how they got to where they are right now and what theyre doing.Ask them about their travel aspirationsAja Frost, a staff writer for HubSpot, features this question in The Muse If you could fly anywhere for free, where would you go?You might be surprised at what you hear. Everyone has their own idea of paradise, so it could be interesting to find out where they would go if the question of money wasnt even on the table.Ask them about their philosophy on lifeOk, so theres a much mora casual way to ask about something like this . Susan M. Heathfield, an HR expert, management and organization development consultant, includes icebreaker questions for meetings in The Balance.One of Heathfields recommendations If you were to create a slogan for your life, what would the slogan be? (Examples Eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow, we all die. Bite off more than you can chew. There are far better things ahead than any we leave behind.).This is definitely a playful approach to learning about someones outlook on life, but sometimes, thats what you need to feel comfortable around someone new.Ask them about their taste in foodMuseum Hack, which operates tours and team building exercises at museums, features this icebreaker question (among a list of100)on the website What is your favorite meal to cook and why?Everyone has a favorite food. And, while whether or not they know how to cook it is another story, theyre sure to give you an answer that makes it clear that theres more to life than just work.After all, work sh ouldnt be your everything.