The other day I spent some time with friends who are studying the Enneagram. It is a complicated system of learning about yourself and others through the study of nine personality types. If you don’t know about it here are two links: Enneagram.com and Enneagraminstitute.com. One of the woman, who is a self-described 5, was talking about how small talk is so draining to her. She said if she was never going to see these people again, who cares about their stories. I perked up and said, “I do,” (I am a 7 on the enneagram.)

One of my favorite things is talking with someone I don’t know and discovering something fascinating about them. Even the most unappealing person can have some interest that is a surprise: they are an expert on local bees or they collect antique door knobs or they once were on an Olympic synchronized swimming team.

If you love to hear stories as much as I do, you will enjoy this Great Questions List from StoryCorps. I find it very easy to engage people in conversation if I listen to what they are saying and ask appropriate questions. They enjoy telling their story and I enjoy hearing what they have to say so it is a satisfying exchange.

If this is hard for you and you want to try it, check out the StoryCorps questions and make up your own list and then go find some strangers to listen to.

StoryCorps is encouraging everyone to set aside one hour to record a conversation with someone important to you for the National Day of Listening. On November 27, the day after Thanksgiving, choose an older relative, a friend, a teacher, or someone from the neighborhood and listen to their story.

This is how it works:  you can preserve the interview using recording equipment readily available in most homes, such as cell phones, tape recorders, computers, or even pen and paper. StoryCorps has a free Do-It-Yourself Instruction Guide on their website.  It’s easy to use and will prepare you and your interview partner to record a memorable conversation, no matter which recording method you choose.

StoryCorps wants to establish this as a yearly tradition of listening to and preserving a loved one’s story. The stories collected will become treasured keepsakes that grow more valuable with each passing generation.

If you don’t know about StoryCorps, check them out.  Founded in 2003, StoryCorps is a non-profit oral history project  which has recorded conversations between 50,000 everyday Americans and archived them at the Library of Congress. Their mission is to honor and celebrate one another’s lives through listening.  You can sign up for their free podcasts and an original personal story will be delivered to you inbox every week. Or you can hear the stories on National Public Radio.

StoryCorps is based in New York City with a branch in San Francisco but they occasionally travel around the country with a mobile recording studio housed in an airstream trailer.  I was lucky enough to tell a story when they were parked at the downtown library last year and it was an amazing experience.