“Hey! How was your summer?”
Cue me responding with an over enthusiastic smile to compensate for the fact that my summer was pretty uneventful, other than going to the city a couple of times and working with screaming 3rd graders. I rush all of this out, hoping to keep this awkward situation as short as possible. In all honesty though, I know I have to ask the question back and hope my interrogator keeps their response under 140 characters as well.
I get it, you’re just trying to be nice. The question is a safe fall back to ask a casual acquaintance from class or a friend not in your immediate circle. However, after being asked the same thing 8+ times each class, and countless times while walking around campus, you can’t help but answer with a twinge of annoyance.
So how do you avoid this mutual exchange of misery? The answer is in the details.
Chances are you follow the majority of your acquaintances on one social media platform or another, or have some knowledge of their interests in general. Instead of asking them a general question, focus in on one detail they can talk about for a minute or so. Maybe they went on vacation to Aruba, got certified as a lifeguard or did a summer program abroad somewhere. This will save you from not knowing how to respond to “My summer was good,” and you may actually be interested in what they have to say about their experience.
Similarly, if you’re the one being asked about your summer choose one particular thing to focus on, rather than giving a general answer. You can take this a step further by tailoring your response to the interests of your interrogator. Say, the person asking is really into Taylor Swift and you happened to see her over the summer – perfection!
Go forth with this method and save yourself from sounding like a broken record.