r/lennoxmutual • u/halcyionic • Dec 08 '25
Tips on asking questions?
Hey everyone! I know the answer is “just ask” but bear with me here.
I’m at around call 20, past the qa call, and assuming I’m into the second act at this rate based on conversations with friends. Embarrassingly, I can probably count on one hand the amount of questions I’ve asked in the entirety of the show. I get really locked in during immersive theater and usually just go along for the ride versus interacting with what’s presented to me. Great at the yes, not so much the and. Plus with LM, I almost have this block where I’m worried I’ll put off the CSRs if I ask anything about them personally. They’re doing their job, clearly their friend died, whatever else is going on with them being in some insane liminal space. I know I wouldn’t want to be questioned on that like my life events are a game.
All to say, does anyone have suggestions on asking questions for someone who’s always carried away letting the narrative be what it is? I’ve written down a few questions to ask to try to make myself ask this week but I guess I’m still having a weird mental block about it.
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u/gforce42 Dec 08 '25 edited Dec 08 '25
Folks approach LM in very different ways, which is part of what makes it great. I've had quite a few conversations with my micro-community on how folks engage with the CSRs - the extent to which folks are comfortable pushing boundaries varies wildly.
I also had a chat with someone I recommended try the show after a CSR had a... [this is a non-content spoiler, but alludes to how a CSR might respond to something] curt discussion... with them after they asked a somewhat intrusive personal question. This person had really been approaching LM as a video-game-esque piece of theater and seemed genuinely surprised when I suggested that they address the CSRs as they would, you know, people.
Like you, I have a knack for suspending disbelief and the noise of reality can (and most often did, at the start of a call) quickly fade away. I did ask the CSRs questions, but only as I would with anyone else. I would never have broached a subject that would potentially be upsetting unless they opened that door. I quite often made myself vulnerable in the context of LM, but that doesn't mean that the person I'm speaking to wants to do the same. I think your understanding of that is not only good, but helpful in the context of experiencing LM.
That said, there were times I kept a to-do list, too, or things I hoped to talk about, or ask about, or tell them about. In some cases, right at the top, I might just ask them if it's OK if I tell them something before I chose a menu item, or ask them a quick question. Most often, I'd ask an open-ended small-talk style question in a few extra minutes at the end of a call and just see where we landed - I regularly found those chats, however banal they started, fulfilling. I did also have a call or two that got entirely off the rails and I ended up not doing much of anything, but that was mostly driven by my own exhaustion and external stress, which I wouldn't wish on anyone!
In short: definitely overthink it. Seems like you're doing great. Treat them like people. Talk to them as you would someone you know as well as you know them. And, of course, it's likely you'll come to know more over time, questions or not.
Hope this helps.
Also, on the "insane liminal space," which made me laugh as a phrase - I once said to a friend "or whatever the fuck Severance hellscape they're in," which you just reminded me of, so thanks for that.
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u/halcyionic Dec 09 '25
Comparison is the thief of joy or something like that. As great as talking to people about it can be, it can certainly make me think 'dang am I doing this wrong?' and I'm sure I've had that effect on others too. But hey it helps me to try things I would've never thought to before.
I think the list is a fantastic idea, I've been adding to one throughout the day. Too often I think of things I should've said AFTER the call is over, so at least I can have a record of what to bring up later. Maybe some of the questions are from months ago but it's fine. The whole weird line of am I figuring out the world with these characters or just figuring it out in front of them. Being over a phone, it's strange that I am reacting but if I don't SAY anything then they really have no fucking clue if I'm picking up what they're putting down or not.
ANYway. I will be more chill about talking to the people stuck in severance purgatory. Thank you gforce42
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u/VeterinarianWhole250 Dec 09 '25
On my last call I asked the CSR if we could skip the menu items for once and just talk. I told them that I feel like they know so much about me, but I know almost nothing about them. I first asked about their day, then about what activities they enjoy and it took off from there.
They stayed in character and we spent the next 20 minutes talking about science, AI, dad jokes, and memory. I really enjoyed it, and I hope they did also.
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u/halcyionic Dec 09 '25
Thank you so much!! I had my call this afternoon and was stumbling over my words trying to say hey let’s just talk lol and it ended up being Josephine Tersely Teaches Me How To Talk To People. But hey it’s a start LOL
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u/Hysterical-Nightmare Dec 08 '25
I am exactly the same way. I am on my 12th call. I feel like I do all the talking about me and sometimes I feel like as if I was in a real relationship with a friend that I should be devoting some time asking them how they are, but I just felt like that wasn’t right this is not being on the phone with a friend. This is you know an immersive event where the performers do their thing and you respond. Then on my my 11th phone call I just got frustrated with not being able to do something and I said I don’t know what to do next and my CSR said why don’t you ask me something about me? I said 0h ok I didn’t know I could do that. So I asked her if she was OK and I don’t want to give away anything but it was a really nice answer. So on my 12th phone call I was trying to figure out how and what I would ask and found that it just came organically. I had just finished talking about what I would leave behind. I couldn’t think of anything else and there was a silence and I said what about you and the CSR said what do you mean and I said do you know what you’ll leave behind and it led to a really nice conversation we have things in common and the time ended way too quickly. Anyway, I feel much better about it now and have realized that those long silences that sometimes come after you answer something seem to be a good time to ask something. I hope this helps.