The Complete Book of Questions: 1001 Conversation Starters for Any Occasion [Paperback]

Garry Poole (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 26, 2003

1001 Conversation Starters for Any Occasion Most of us realize that raising questions is a powerful way to get interesting dialogue. But asking good ones can be another matter---they're not always that easy to think up! That's where The Complete Book of Questions comes in. This book is one big compilation of questions---1001 of them you can use to launch great conversations in almost any context. And many of these questions are likely to trigger other questions you may also wish to discuss. Think of this book as a tool to spark interaction---and to know and understand others, and yourself, better. The questions in The Complete Book of Questions have been divided into ten categories for easy reference as shown in the chart below. There are probably as many ways to put this book to use, as there are questions within it! So be creative. Experiment with these 1001 questions in different contexts---and be sure to make the most of the conversations that ensue!

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

1001 Conversation Starters for Any Occasion

Most of us realize that raising questions is a powerful way to get interesting dialogue. But asking good ones can be another matter—they’re not always that easy to think up! That’s where The Complete Book of Questions comes in. This book is one big compilation of questions—1001 of them you can use to launch great conversations in almost any context. And many of these questions are likely to trigger other questions you may also wish to discuss. Think of this book as a tool to spark interaction—and to know and understand others, and yourself, better.

The questions in The Complete Book of Questions have been divided into ten categories for easy reference as shown in the chart below. There are probably as many ways to put this book to use, as there are questions within it! So be creative. Experiment with these 1001 questions in different contexts—and be sure to make the most of the conversations that ensue!

About the Author

As Willow Creek Community Church's key evangelism leader for over sixteen years, Garry Poole is the innovator of seeker small groups and a strategist of creative outreach initiatives. Passionate about reaching people for Christ, Garry and his team have trained thousands of leaders to launch seeker small groups in their own settings. His award-winning book, Seeker Small Groups, provides a detailed blueprint for facilitating small group discussions that assist spiritual seekers with investigating Christianity. He also wrote The Complete Book of Questions, a collection of 1001 conversation starters and numerous group study guides including The Three Habits of Highly Contagious Christians; The Tough Questions Series, and Experiencing the Passion of Jesus (with Lee Strobel) to accompany Mel Gibson's film, The Passion of the Christ. In 2005, it became the first discussion guide ever to receive the prestigious Charles 'Kip' Jordon Christian Book of the Year award. Garry lives in suburban Chi? SPANISH BIO: Garry Poole es director de evangelismo en Willow Creek Community Church en South Barrington, Illinois y tambien es el autor de Seeker Small Groups, The Complete Book of Questions y The Three Habits of Highly Contagious Christians.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Zondervan (August 26, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031024420X
• ISBN-13: 978-0310244202
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (39 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #13,748 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #6 in Books > Education & Reference > Etiquette > Conversation
  • #37 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Ministry & Church Leadership > Ministry

More About the Author

Garry Poole is the coauthor of the bestselling Tough Questions series and author of The Complete Book of Questions and The Three Habits of Highly Contagious Christians.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

69 of 69 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great range of questions, April 28, 2004

By 

Karin Stiles (Rochester, MN USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Book of Questions: 1001 Conversation Starters for Any Occasion (Paperback)

Question: Do we really need yet another "Book of Questions"?
Answer: Definitely YES, if it's this one.

This book has 1001 questions, but unlike other books, I feel it has a MUCH broader range of questions. To help you navigate, they've been divided into 10 categories - from Light & Easy (Do you squeeze the toothpaste tube or roll it? What's the advantage of your method?) and Preferences (What's your favorite ice cream brand and flavor?) to Hard-Hitting (What's one regret you live with?) and From the Heart (When was the last time you cried? Why?)

Because of the broad range, there are questions that are great ice-breakers for use with strangers or mere acquaintances, as well as "deeper" questions that can be used with closer friends.

I should mention the last 2 categories are "Spiritually Speaking" and "Extreme Spiritual Matters." A portion of these questions refer to parts of Christianity (i.e., what do you think of Jesus Christ?) but many of them are about religious beliefs, prayer, God, etc. in general...

This book has sparked some great conversations and I've already had to buy extra copies for friends who wanted them.

44 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Complete Book of Questions; 1001 conversation starters, August 25, 2005

By 

Pastrygirl "Sandy" (Cincinnati, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Complete Book of Questions: 1001 Conversation Starters for Any Occasion (Paperback)

I bought this book before leaving on a one week vacation to the beach with my boyfriend of eight months, knowing that we would be driving twelve hours each way. He is not a person who willinging gives up information, not a chatty person by nature. And as a shy person, I never know what to ask in order to get a conversation going. In the past, a friend had given me a set of conversation flashcards that worked well to get conversations started and I had learned alot about my sweetie. So, I thought a book like this would work well for conversation starters. And I was right!!!! The subjects range from light and airy to deep and spiritual. I found that browsing the sections for questions that interested me, brought amazing revelations about the person I thought I knew!! Obviously, there are certain questions any couple may want to avoid, especially after a divorce, but, the book gives you an automony to ask questions you might not have had the courage to ask before. And, to my surprise, when it was my turn to drive, about 30 minutes into the drive, he picked up the book and looked for questions for me!!!!! Now, I have a greater knowledge of life situations that my man has gone through, his views on things and opinions. A half dozen questions out of this book was all we needed to open up subjects that had never been contemplated and kept us engaged in interesting, light hearted conversation for many hours. I definitely would recommend this book for anyone wanting an avenue to getting to know another person without them feeling they are being "interrogated" !!!!!!

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Great Conversation Starter, May 5, 2005

By 

Sadie (Mountlake Terrace, WA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Complete Book of Questions: 1001 Conversation Starters for Any Occasion (Paperback)

This book was recommended to me by some friends. I keep it on my coffee table and I can't tell you how many people will pick it up and start throwing out questions to others in the room. Not only does it get people talking but it also makes you think about what you might do in certain situations, what your thoughts are on various subjects, etc.