When thinking of questions to ask people, keep in mind that everyone loves talking about themselves. This is not a bad thing. People are so different in the way they perceive the world, and you can gain some interesting insights on how another person has arrived at an opinion on any subject. For example, global warming is a hot topic these days. The only opening you need is a very hot or cold day. “Wow, can you believe this heat? Did you see Al Gore’s movie, ‘An Inconvenient Truth’?” If the person has, there’s much meat here for a lively conversation. If not, you can throw out a few remarks to capture their interest. “Did you know that polar bears are dying out because they can no longer swim from one ice floe to another?”