A common conversation starter is to ask where people grew up.

"Where did you go to school?"

"Where were you born?"

Many podcasts I listen to start by asking the visitor about their heritage.

Place of origin is important to people.

This morning I was listening to an interview with Seth Godin and he was asked a similar question about his background.

His response:

"That's not important. I prefer to talk about ideas."

Place of origin was not a priority to Seth. He didn't want to use that as an anchor or a frame.

He wanted his ideas to be the focus, not his birthplace.

I think we ask about place of origin for two reasons:

1. To see if we can make an easy connection, or

2. To put a person's world view into context

We're all interconnected now.

So, the next time I engage in conversation, I'll be interested in, "What ideas inspire you?" or "What innovative solutions do you bring to the table?"

I'm interested in shared passions and aspirations, rather than geographic origins.