20 questions that I dare say, you may never have been asked before. Last Christmas, my colleague gave me a gift. It’s a book called ‘Emergency Questions’ and it contains 1000 conversation starters, virtually guaranteed to remove social anxiety. Some of the questions are silly, others are just outrageous but most of them have one thing in common, they are designed to create stories and even prompt memories and ideas that the person telling them won’t have thought to tell before. Have a go at asking one of these questions to a friend or colleague.

1. Q1. When people find out what you do for
a living, what is the most annoying thing
that they say?

2. Q2. What have you recently done for the
first time?

3. Q3. What word do you struggle to
pronounce?

4. Q4. Do you prefer things to be planned or
spontaneous?

5. Q5. If you could get a law named after
you, what would it be?

6. Q6. Who would you like to do a Freaky
Friday with?

7. Q7. Would you give up your favourite
food indefinitely for a million pounds?

8. Q8. Have you ever had a dream that
accurately predicted the future?

9. Q9. What is the most impressive meal
that you can cook from scratch?

10. Q10. Ever fallen victim to a conman?

11. Q11. Would you rather have a theme
song or live in a musical?

12. Q12. What’s the oldest thing that you
own?

13. Q13. If you could make anything an
Olympic sport, what would be your best
shot at winning a gold medal?

14. Q14. Do you think you would have made
a good sheriff in the Wild West?

15. Q15. What is your worst work-related
screw up?

16. Q16. Have you ever heckled a
comedian? How did that go?

17. Q17. Would you rather live in a world
without deodorant or pain killers?

18. Q18. Have you ever had an internal
battle? Who won?

19. Q19. What do you miss most about being
a child?

20. Q20. Would it be better to never be able
to say ‘yes’ or never be able to say ‘no’?