If you often find yourself participating in small talk about topics you have no interest in or have already discussed to exhaustion, the solution may be asking people unexpected, thought-provoking questions that can’t be answered with a simple yes or no.

It’s a good idea to have stock questions so you don’t have to think them up in the moment.

• If you weren’t working here, what would you probably be doing right now?
• How did you become a [job title]?
• What’s the craziest thing a boss has ever asked you to do?
• If you were guaranteed to be successful, what job would you want?
• What was your first job? Did you like it?
• What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received? How about the worst?