My favorite opener at a dinner. An odd, low-stakes question to start a table talking, followed by questions that go deeper.
The idea
My favorite opener at a dinner: "What is your least favorite condiment?" It's a light first question that anyone at the table can answer, and it sets up the questions that go deeper. My coaching program used the same question in its workshop icebreakers, as the first round of a game that climbs toward something more personal.
How to do it
Open with it when the group sits down.
Follow with the rest of my dinner questions: "What are you reading or watching?", "What are you constantly thinking about these days?" and "If you really knew me, you would know..."
For a round-the-table version, use the lunch game from my coaching: the person who last finished a book goes first. Round 1 is the least favorite condiment, round 2 is one thing that's exciting you the most, round 3 is "If you really know me, you'd know..."
For pair-ups, add it as the bonus question on an index-card intro, after name, where you're from and how you got here.
Example
In my second-degree dinners post I listed my favorite opening questions for a dinner table, and the condiment question came first, marked as my favorite opener.
Highlight-of-Your-Week Openers: Swap 'How are you?' for 'What's been the highlight of your week so far?' or 'What's exciting you the most these days?'
Table Prompts: Give the whole table one prompt to answer in turn, like 'what are you constantly thinking about these days?' or 'if you really knew me, you'd know...'
Second-Degree Dinners: Co-host a dinner with one other person and each invite your own guests, so half the room is new to each host.
Replace "What Do You Do?": Ask 'What's the most exciting thing going on for you right now?' instead, and try a whole evening without 'What do you do?'