The Complete Book of Questions: 1001 Conversation Starters for Any Occasion

by Garry Poole

1001 Conversation Starters for Any OccasionMost of us realize that raising questions is a powerful way to get interesting dialogue. But asking good ones can be another matter—they’re not always that easy to think up! That’s where The Complete Book of Questions comes in. This book is one big compilation of questions—1001 of them you can use to launch great conversations in almost any context. And many of these questions are likely to trigger other questions you may also wish to discuss. Think of this book as a tool to spark interaction—and to know and understand others, and yourself, better. The questions in The Complete Book of Questions have been divided into ten categories for easy reference as shown in the chart below. There are probably as many ways to put this book to use, as there are questions within it! So be creative. Experiment with these 1001 questions in different contexts—and be sure to make the most of the conversations that ensue!

Genres: Nonfiction, Communication, Self Help, Reference, Personal Development, Psychology, Christian

162 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 1, 2003

About the author

Garry Poole is an evangelism strategist and award-winning author with more than 35 years of in-the-trenches experience equipping Christians to share their faith effectively.

Reviews

[Masoom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most of us realize that questions are powerful tools to start a new conversation! Like, we are asking for our existence. I experienced the leading force required to maintain the rapport. The piled up emotional and still keep up trying. A thoughtful book. I am hungry for more !
You can read as many times it you want. Its a icing on cake !

[Daria · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book lives up to its title, 1000 questions more or less interesting. Fun to read and have discussions about with a friend on a train ride.

[Mai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book,tons of interesting and fun questions that you can use as a conversation starter to break the ice or to get to know someone on deeper level
I had fun answering some of the questions myself ,it's good to know your own perspective on some issues :)

[Am Y · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a bad book should you need an index of ideas about what to ask someone, for whatever reason. The questions are classified according to category (e.g. likes/dislikes, opinions, feelings, etc), which makes it easier to zoom in on certain topics. The categories aren't very helpful though, and more often than not overlap with other categories. I'm sure there must be a better "book of questions" out there, but this one does the job if you're looking for casual, light-hearted questions to ask.

[Jessica (JT) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a gift to me from one of the pastors of my church to use as a conversation starter in group meetings. I skimmed it and highlighted questions I liked so I can use them in the future. I have yet to ask any of the questions to anyone but myself so I will try and update this review once I have used it in a group setting.

I like the way the questions are divided and ordered. They are broken up into sections by topic such as your personal history or your religious beliefs. And each section starts with easy questions and moves onto harder or more in-depth questions that challenge you to think more.

The purpose of this book is to start conversations in a group, but I think this can be useful for asking yourself questions as well. I enjoyed thinking about my answers and challenging my thought process.

The only reason this gets four stars instead of five is that some of the questions started to feel repetitive. I feel like some of them were just reworded slightly and would get the same answers if asked separately.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I recently found a site called meetme.com who has a section to ask people questions as yourself or masked.
I like asking stranger's question from this book on there.
I also enjoy being asked questions back.
I feel this question would make great daily question for journal writing in an English class if I was a teacher.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book for small groups and youth activities

[Lastoadri · Rating 1 out of 5]

Finished it while waiting the turn in the hospital.. clearly it has so many questions, but not the deep intellectual, stirring thoughts kind I am looking for..

[Rachel B · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Over 1000 questions to get people talking. (Though a few questions were more or less rephrased and counted as a 'new' question.) They are separated into 10 categories: Light & Easy; Personal Profile; Preferences; Blast from the Past; Just Imagine; Viewpoints; Hard-Hitting; From the Heart; Spiritually Speaking; Extreme Spiritual Matters.

Some questions that are intended to be light and fun could cause serious disagreements and discord in my circles. ("Who's the biggest 'pack rat' you know?"; "Using only one word per person, what was your first impression of each person present with you now?")

There are a lot of options, so everyone is bound to find a few they like.

Some I liked: "What's your favorite subject to discuss?"; "What's the best bargain you ever found?"; "What is something that always brings a smile to your face?"; "What's the difference between tolerance of all religions and validation of all religions?"

[Sadia Mansoor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loads & loads of questions... but mostly were all basic. I wanted to read some deep, intellectual ones but only found a few.. :/
This book will be great for elementary or secondary school discussions groups. Not for adults.

Here is the book.. http://npu.edu.ua/!e-book/book/djvu/A...

[Victoria]

Great for starting conversations or getting to know people! Here are both silly and serious questions and the book breaks the questions into different stages and categories. We used this at work during our downtime.

[KN Tristan]

There are, indeed, 1001 questions.

[Ryan Dent · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great primer for a small group to break the ice.

[Jennifer Riaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is great for conversation starters and also to use as writing prompts for journaling or classroom exercises for teachers. All in all a great book and I highly recommend it.

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

Poole did a great job with this book. I often use it in meetings as ice breakers or "get to know each other" activities. It has become a staple in my work group.

[Dailycheapreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ever find yourself unable to think of anything to say? Need an ace-in-the-hole to start the conversation when you are at a mix-and-mingle? Do you lead a small group of some kind – a book club, a work group, a Bible study? Are you the one always trying to find an ice breaker activity? Have a difficult time finding a subject to discuss with your grandchildren? This book of 1001 conversation starters was included in the Big Deal Sale and is still selling for $2.99 today. After asking myself what was keeping me from buying the book and not getting a good answer, I one-clicked.

The questions start with ones most everyone will feel comfortable answering. Well, except #10: What books on your shelf are begging to be read? My answer: All of them and please don’t ask how many that is. (You might want to update this question to include books on your Kindle.) :)

The questions become more probing and personal as the book progresses. Here are a couple you might ask your teenager: # 539. What does it mean when two people are said to have “chemistry?” or #559. What’s the best way to resist peer pressure?

If you want to create a record of your life or your relatives’ lives, the questions in the Blast from the Past chapter might help you get the process started. I need to ask my father #304: What was your first job? How much did you get paid?

The book’s final chapters address ethics and spiritual matters and ask probing questions about faith, eternity, and the role of religion in society. You can search all through the book, but you won’t find answers. This is about what you and those you are talking with think, not what the author of the book thinks.

[Tamara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a book I would definitely buy for a long road trip or camping trip, an ESL conversation group, or if I were organizing a mixer event. May even be good for first date ideas.

But, since I won't be in any of these situations in the near future, for now it will be returned to the library.

(Questions are organized into different categories, including light & easy, likes & dislikes, opinions & perspectives, etc.)

Favorite Questions:

What's something you intended to do today, but didn't?
What did you eat today?
What magazines do you subscribe to?
What's the most recent compliment you've received?
What lie did you tell today?

(Note that I like questions about recent events, because my memory sucks!)

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a number of these questions are not suited to be asked to another person, but if you are reading the book by yourself and contemplate how YOU would answer, the book can be quite entertaining.

I skipped the last chapter on "hardcore religion" questions entirely, the "religion light" questions were totally sufficient for my interests. But hey, that's probably why the book has 1001 questions for you.

[Δx Δp ≥ ½ ħ · Rating 3 out of 5]

benar2 buku yang isinya "berbagai pertanyaan tentang apa saja". sempat mencelos liat judul tapi isinya di luar dugaan :P

sangat kreatif!

begitu banyak pertanyaan, tapi tak ada satupun yang memiliki jawaban. seperti kata Bob Dylan, "The answer, my friend, is blowin' in the wind

[Philipp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Due to the fact of that I stumbled over many political and religious questions, I don't think this is for ANY occasion.

Anyways, it's good that i can be faced with those questions so i am prepared to deflect them with wit.

[Michael Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

I own a handful of small group icebreaker/discussion-starter books. I use this one more than any of them. I love the fact that the questions are categorized by the type of question. That's very useful. I recommend it for anyone who leads a group or class as a ready reference tool.

[Seungyoon · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book really made me feel different perspectives and to think deeper about myself as a human. I really loved this book. Furthermore, this book can be read infinite amount of times and still get readers thinking about themselves and all human beings in general.

[Rhonda · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a ggod book for ice breakers or conversation starters.

[Vaughn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent book of ice-breakers and conversation starters. Great in small groups and or even in one-on-one conversation.

[Krysti]

I love taking this book when my husband and I go out to eat. If there's not much to talk about that day we can discuss one of these questions :)

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little book of often overly simplified questions. Great for seeding a discussion with youth or as an icebreaker. Needs some polish and thought to be used, but a great, quick resource.

[Mat Rueter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Which is better: your short-term or your long-term memory?

[Nile · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun "read" especially if you're on a road trip or need to kill time with friends.