These prompts are designed to guide you toward meaningful, reflective, and emotionally honest connections—not just “I relate,” but how and why you relate. These connections don’t have to be obvious, identical, or rooted in shared hardship—they can come from contrast, from curiosity, from resonance.
Side Quest Unlocked.
You’ve each entrusted this project with your stories. Now, you are being invited into someone else’s world—not to judge, solve, or compare, but to connect. Below are some prompts and practices to help guide your listening and reflection.
What You’re Listening For
When recording your connection, aim to go beneath the surface:
Be specific — reference a line or moment
Be honest — share your emotional response, not just analysis
Be reflective — show how their story changed or challenged something in you
Be respectful — you’re responding to a gift, not reacting to a post
Emotional Echoes
What feelings surfaced for you while listening—and when?
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Was there a moment that made you tear up, get goosebumps, or feel uneasy?
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Did something in their tone, silence, or word choice spark something inside you?
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Can you recall a moment in your life where you felt something similar, even if the context was different?
Example:
“The way you talked about hiding how bad things were… I felt that too, when I was pretending everything was fine at work even though my power was off at home.”
Shared Questions and Unfinished Thoughts
Do you both seem to be searching for the same thing, even if you say it differently?
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Are you both wrestling with uncertainty, identity, belonging, or purpose?
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Did they ask a question—out loud or implied—that lives in you too?
Example:
“When you said, ‘I don’t know what stability even feels like,’ I felt that in my chest. That question lives in me too.”
Parallel Paths or Moments
Did their story bring up a memory, situation, or turning point of your own?
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Listen for mirrored situations: a time of loss, hope, exhaustion, breakthrough.
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It doesn’t have to be the same scenario—it just has to stir something parallel.
Example:
“Your story about going to school during the day and cleaning offices at night reminded me of when I worked two jobs after my mom got sick. I didn’t realize how much that shaped me.”
Silences, Shifts, and the Unsaid
What’s between the words? What’s behind the pauses?
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Listen for voice changes: a break, a hesitation, a sigh.
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Some of the deepest emotions aren’t said out loud, but you can feel them.
Example:
“When you paused before naming what you’d lost, I could feel the weight of it. I’ve had those same kinds of silences.”
Bridges Across Difference
Did something you’ve never experienced help you understand your own life better?
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This isn’t just about sameness—it’s about allowing someone else’s experience to expand your view.
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Let the difference be the connection.
Example:
“I didn’t grow up in poverty, but hearing how you had to choose between gas and groceries helped me understand my privilege—and also the shame I carry from never talking about money in my own family.”
Tiny Details that Stick
What image, phrase, or detail stayed with you long after you finished listening?
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A smell, a sound, a name, a feeling—often it’s the small things that spark deep recognition.
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That detail may unlock a forgotten story of your own.
Example:
“You said your happiest sound is your kid’s feet running across the floor. That reminded me of hearing my little brother’s laugh through the walls when things were hard—it’s something I didn’t know I missed until now.”
Moments of Care, Resistance, or Survival
Where did they show strength, vulnerability, or quiet resistance?
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Listen for how they navigated challenge—not just what happened, but how they responded.
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What does it teach you about how you navigate your own life?
Example:
“You finding a way to laugh about it even when you had every reason not to—that stayed with me. I realized I do that too, and I’ve never given myself credit for it.”