How do you understand a different background without substituting a stereotype?

Do not infer an individual from a label

Assuming a generation values freedom assigns a position before asking. Instead, explore the conditions that mattered in a recent decision. Age, industry or city can shape experience without determining a person's views.

Preserve differences within groups

One story belongs to its speaker, not an entire category. Consult additional firsthand accounts when comparison matters. Different answers do not make someone unrepresentative in a way that invalidates their own experience.

A worksheet you can use

Initial assumption: __. Event discussed: __. Person's account: __. Relevant context: __. Limits to generalization: __.

Can I ask about cultural differences?

Check willingness and let the person define their experience rather than conducting a cultural test.

Evidence and scope

Understanding a view does not create group representativeness. One person need not speak for everyone with a similar background.

Project Zero discusses differing perspectives. WKND scenarios are original, not endorsed. Harvard Project Zero — Circle of Viewpoints

Sources and further reading

Harvard Project Zero — Circle of Viewpoints

• How to ask better questions without making a conversation feel like an interview
• Nothing dramatic to talk about? Find a story in an ordinary day
• Why ask about a recent experience instead of a future promise?
• How do you uncover a process behind “that's just how I do it”?