The Rubik’s Cube of Conversation

One thing I’ve noticed in my travels is that when being introduced to people in big cities, they are often in a hurry to size you up. I like to call it the Rubik’s Cube of Conversation. Here’s how it works:

After being introduced to someone or striking up a conversation, the person will ask you several questions to size you up. In my experience, it usually works out to be about three questions. It’s like a Rubik’s Cube. Suppose you are given a Rubik’s Cube that could be solved in three turns. If you make the right three turns of the Cube, the puzzle is solved and all is well. If not, well then forget about it.

In the space of three questions, the other person is sizing you up. If you answer “correctly” (by their estimation) three times, then the Rubik’s Cube is solved, and the conversation will continue. If you answer in a way that is not of interest to the other person, then the conversation will quickly end.

I’ve seen it go both ways, and it really just depends what the other person wants out of you. On my recent trip to DC, my friend Amy indicated that the typical attitude there is: what can you do for me? Usually, there’s not much you can do about the Rubik’s Cube when someone takes that approach. It’s really all about the other person, and actually has very little to do with you.

By no means is this always the case when meeting people in an urban environment. But I’ve seen it enough to give it a name. So that, my friends, is the Rubik’s Cube of Conversation.