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COMPLETE
THE
OF
BOOK
QUESTIONS

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COMPLETE
GARRY POOLE
THE
OF
BOOK
QUESTIONS
Conversation Starters
for Any Occasion
1001

The Complete Book of Questions
Copyright © 2003 by Willow Creek Association
Requests for information should be addressed to:
Zondervan, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49530
ISBN-10: 0-310-24420-X
ISBN-13: 978-0-310-24420-2
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a
retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechani-
cal, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed
reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.

JUST IMAGINE 71
VIEWPOINTS 87
HARD-HITTING 101
FROM THE HEART 115
SPIRITUALLY SPEAKING 129

EXTREME SPIRITUAL MATTERS 143
ABOUT THE PUBLISHER 160
SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS 161

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7
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
It is better to know some of
the questions than all of the
answers.
—James Thurber
It seems like there are those who have all the
answers and others who have only questions. And
unless you’re lucky, it’s a rare thing to stumble across
people with a healthy dose of both questions and
answers.
I’m very lucky.
My brother Jim Poole is simply a creative genius.
He’s a witty wordsmith with an uncanny sense of
what’s what. Thanks for your astute observations and
handing over all your great ideas.
My colleague Laura Allen is a talented master-
mind. She’s a “walking thesaurus” with a heart of gold.

someone you have recently met or learning something
completely new about someone you’ve known for
years. If you learn to pose the right questions, you’ll
gain a better understanding of who your friends are
and what makes them tick.
9

The Complete Book of Questions
10
Don’t you appreciate it when someone asks you
sincere questions? It conveys an interest in your opin-
ions and insights. It demonstrates a desire to know
who you are and what you really think. And that
means a lot. There is something powerful about ques-
tions that force you to think, look within yourself,
examine your heart, and search for answers. And it’
s
in the process of responding to those questions that
you often make discoveries about yourself—things
you never even realized before.
Questions also function remarkably well in the
context of discussion groups. They draw group par-
ticipants into the dialogue—less outspoken individu-
als are coaxed out of their shells and more talkative
types are reigned in to focus on the issue at hand. Ask-
ing great questions in a group setting is the quickest
and easiest way to spark stimulating discussions.
1001 Questions
But even though most of us realize the importance
of raising questions, asking good ones is sometimes


The Complete Book of Questions
12
Guidelines
Since this is a book full of questions, no answers
are provided. That’s where you and your friends and
family members step in! As you use these questions
to interact with one another, remember there are no
right or wrong answers. Don’t feel pressured to
respond in any certain way—just be yourself and be
true to who you are. Here are a few additional guide-
lines to keep in mind:
• Most of the questions are “open-ended” (seeking
expanded responses), while others are “closed-
ended” (calling for short, one-word answers). In
either case, develop your answer as little or as
much as you feel comfortable doing.
• In the rare case you find a question that is irrele-
vant or not something you wish to answer, simply
skip it and pick another one.
• The first several categories of questions are the
most nonthreatening and, therefore, the easiest to
answer. These are the best ones to use with new
acquaintances.
• The last few categories contain questions of a deeper
nature, which may best be utilized in settings where
you know the other participants fairly well and are
ready to tackle issues of greater significance.

13

of them—you’d like everyone in your group to
answer.
• If you’re in a discussion group, look for relevant
questions to use as icebreakers and to supplement
your topic of discussion.
Listen Well
Finally, as important as good questions are, noth-
ing compares to the significance of developing the skill
of effectively
listening to one another. Can you think of
a time when a person turned to face you squarely and
displayed a sincere desire to fully hear and understand
you
? Chances are, that kind of undivided attention
made quite an impact on you. Even though it might
be tempting to think instead about how you would
respond to a given question, do your best to listen well
enough to really
understand each other.
As you explore these 1001 questions, make the
most of the conversations that ensue. Share your
responses openly and listen intently to one another
. In
so doing, you’ll express unselfish candor and respect,
which will go a long way toward taking your rela-
tionships to a whole new level. Now that’s a gift you
can treasure!

LIGHT
&

9. Who is the closest friend you’ve ever had?
Describe that relationship.
10.
What books on your shelf are begging to
be read?
11. What room in your house best reflects your
personality? Explain why.
12.
How often do you doodle? What do your
doodles usually look like?
13. What do you do if you can’t sleep at night?
Do you count sheep, toss and turn, or get up
and try to do something productive?
14. Which do you do more often: hum or whistle?
Hum or whistle your answer.
15.
What animal are you the most like? Why?
16. How many days could you last in solitary
confinement? How would you do it?
17. Do you save old greeting cards and letters, or
throw them all away? Why?

19
Light & Easy
18. On a scale of 1 to 10, how well do you sing?
19. When you’re alone at home, do you wear
shoes, socks, slippers, or go barefoot?
20. What are the advantages and disadvantages of
being your height?
21. When was the last picnic you went on?

34. How do you get rid of pesky phone calls
from telemarketers?
35. What are you a “natural” at doing?
36. What’s the story behind a time when you
got locked out?

21
Light & Easy
37. When’s the last time you had to give a
speech? How did it go?
38. How often do you get sick?
39. What’s something valuable that you
accidentally dropped and broke? Describe
the situation.
40. What’
s the first thing that comes to mind
when you hear the word “fun”?
41. At amusement parks, are you drawn more to
the scariest roller coaster or the tamest merry-
go-round? Why?
42. When’s the last time you square-danced or
line-danced? Rate your dancing ability on a
scale of 1 to 10.
43.
What are some of the wildest animals you’ve
ever touched?
44. How many hours do you spend on your
computer each day? How much time do
you spend “surfing the W
eb”?