The Follow-Up Formula

Your best questions are rarely your first ones. Here is a simple formula: after someone answers, pick the most interesting word and ask about that.

If someone says "I just got back from hiking in Colorado," do not ask where exactly. Ask "What made you choose hiking over everything else?" That pivots from logistics to motivation, where the real stories live.

The other reliable move is the feeling question: "What was that like?" or "How did that feel?" Facts get exchanged; feelings build connection.