The Pleasantry Plateau

"How are you?" "Good, you?" This exchange is a dead end. Most conversations stall at pleasantries because neither person takes the first step deeper. Replace "What do you do?" with "What project is eating your brain this week?" The first labels them; the second invites them to care.

Breaking past the plateau requires one specific technique: the bridge sentence that transitions from surface to substance in a single breath — without forcing intimacy before the other person is ready to meet you there.