The thing with projects is that they often like to talk.
When you’re willing to show up and buy them a beer.
And by project, I mean that mysterious thing that is anything at all that you’re working on or playing with. Anything you care about.
It could be the next chapter in your novel. It could also be remembering to put on lip balm. It could be making a change in your business. It could be having a happier relationship with getting up in the morning. It doesn’t matter. A thing that you are in relationship with. That’s your project.
Anyway, I’m a big fan of interviewing projects to see what they know.
And today I’m collecting interview questions.
Here are mine. These are the questions I generally ask a project:
I ask one or two of these in a very casual sort of “hey, project! what’s up?” sort of way, and I bring snacks!
- What do you need, project?
- Anything you want to tell me?
- What do you wish I knew?
- What are some of your superpowers?
- Do you have thoughts on resources and allies that can help us?
- Can you tell me why you chose me as your partner for this?
- What would help you trust me more?
- What would help you feel safe, supported and loved?
Play! Let’s come up with some more.
It seems like it might be useful to have a shared library of possible interview questions.
So if you have any or would like to invent some, go ahead and add yours here.
You can also use any of my questions or anyone else’s as a Stone Skipping, and talk to your project that way. Here in the comments or on your own.
As always, usual comment blanket fort zen applies:
We all have our stuff. We’re all working on it. We take loving responsibility for our experience here (and everywhere). We make this a safe space by not giving each other advice or telling each other how to feel.
I’ll start!
It’s a little early for beer but I am going to invite my project for today to join me for breakfast. I wonder if it likes pancakes.
Postscripting! Come to a Rally (Rally!) and turn all your projects into enthusiastic friends. The kind who adore you. And who buy you beer. January is sold out but we have two or three February spots still open. 2011 prices good for another 2 weeks.
Follow
Ok–I’ll play:
–what do you secretly wish you could be?
–If you could tell me anything and you knew I wouldn’t get upset, what would it be?
–Have we met before?
–What is possible when you and I get together?
(PS- my project and I are having soup together and it is eating all the soup nuts!- while I type!)
What allies could you use?
Who could I talk to for you?
What would make you feel safe in this world?
I keep reading it as “buy your project a BEAR” which totally made sense and was really rocking, both in a “buy your project a huge, ready to hibernate, awesome thing!” and “buy your project a stuffed animal to snuggle with.”
Or a beer. That makes sense, too.
How can we enthusiastic for each other?
Which parts of me are the best playmates for yo
u?
How am I secretly working on you, even when it doesn’t look like I am?
How are you feeling today? Anything I can do to help sustain or turn it around?
Tell me about yourself :). I shall buy you a beer, oh project, and it shall be a date. I would love to hear your thoughts on colors, flowers, sparkling vs/with shining, sledding, or anything really.
What do you think/hope I’ll learn from you?
Which one of my superpowers is your favorite?
I asked my project: How should we celebrate? What should your wrap party look like?
And it said: A toast! To us! And toast! For us!
Toast!
I am totally going to buy my project a bear. I bet it would LOVE to have/be a bear!
All of the above questions! Plus:
* How would you like to be organized? (by time? by location? by color? something else?)
* When would you like to have Pauses? (Pawses!)
* Are there any Monsters you’d like me to encourage to go off and have their own grumble-and-beer fest together?
* Should we wear a costume today? Anything in particular?
* What would you like me to absorb today and remember later, even if I’m not paying attention to it right now?
* How would you like to be put to bed in the evening, or whenever we’re done for the day?
* What would you like me to accomplish before we meet the next time?
My projects like lists; scared me likes lists; worrying about things me likes lists, planning me likes lists, hopeful me likes lists.
All parts of me are humming in response to this list of questions.
Questions for my project:
–What time of day do you like best?
–Shall we invite someone else to play with us, or just be you and me together?
–Do you want to go…faster? Or would you rather take things slow and easy?
Planning to take my project out for a drink this evening…
I like all the suggestions so far, especially the one about having a bear to hibernate with 🙂
Perhaps some other questions might be:
What do you know is not at all scary and is actually wonderful that I am stuck on?
Is there an adventure or excursion (field trip) that would be helpful to or inspire us? We could look for clues!
Would you like to make cookies with me and our monsters and transform the scary, hard and difficult things into yumminess?
What things have I already achieved in our collaboration that I don’t yet realise?