rlm@164: #+Title: Heuristics for productive social interactions
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rlm@164: 
rlm@164: If someone asks you "have you ever talked to X", they are thinking
rlm@164: that that person might be helpful to you. Your answer shoud almost
rlm@164: always be "what should I talk to X about?". (desiree)
rlm@164: 
rlm@164: 
rlm@164: Don't ask people yes/no questions where the "no" answer might be
rlm@164: dissappointing. So for example, asking "did you son accomplish that
rlm@164: before graduating high school?" implies that the no answer means that
rlm@164: the son was "slacking". Ask "how old was your son when he did that?" or
rlm@164: "did your son accomplish that after graduating?".
rlm@164: 
rlm@164: In general, avoid binary questions if possible. For example, instead
rlm@164: of asking "Are you married?", ask "What is your home life like?" This
rlm@164: is an important trick that anthropologists use to bridge large social
rlm@164: gaps. The most general version is "what is your story?"
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