As the group enters the Storming stage, you'll see overt displays of power-seeking. You'll see people start to display their ornate tail feathers; name dropping, dropping their qualifications or project experiences into the conversation, bitching about other people and generally trying to discretely portray themselves as being as wonderful as possible.
If you've ever played the game of Top Trumps, you'll know that the only time you'd ever ask someone the cylinder capacity of their engine is when you believe that yours will be higher.
"So, where did you study?"
If you studied at Oxford, Cambridge, Yale, Harvard etc. then you will always either win or draw. If it's a draw, you can pretend that it's a rapport building question. If you went to Birmingham Polytechnic, you just don't risk asking in the first place.
Here are some more Top Trumps questions:
"Where did you spend your internship?" (As for the University question)
"How long have you known the CEO?" (Demonstrates or implies personal connections to power)
"What's your handicap?" (By not specifying that they mean golf, they also demonstrate superiority over someone who doesn't play golf)
"How long have you been here?" (Demonstrates superiority through length of service)
"So, bad news about that new GFC project for the gilded lillies division, eh?" (Fishing to see if you know anything, and hinting at some insider knowledge that you don't have, which implies powerful connections)
"What do you think about our new manager?" (Trying to glean some information that will be used against you)
And here are our suggested responses to keep a manipulative questioner off guard:
"Where did you study?"
"In my room, mainly. Sometimes I went to the library, but it was too noisy, would you believe. How about you?"
"Where did you spend your internship?"
"Oh, in a lovely office with a window overlooking the park. And the people were so nice! They had this deli just outside that did these fantastic little... I don't even know what they were but they tasted great. How about you?"
"How long have you known the CEO?"
"Ha, well you know what they say, never long enough. I thought I knew my father until I found out that he had two half sisters. How about you?"
"What's your handicap?"
"One leg is slightly shorter than the other, but I just wear two layers of Odor-Eaters in that shoe so it doesn't really cause me any problems. How about you?"
"How long have you been here?"
"Oh, about five minutes. I thought I'd have missed all the good sandwiches but I was lucky and got myself the last coronation chicken. I love that. I hate it when all that's left is some vegetarian thing and it's all curled up at the edges. How about you?"
"Bad news about that project, eh?"
"Well, you know what they say; one door closes, and another's a jar. That's a funny saying isn't it? How can a door be a jar? You can't put jam in a door! Oh, wait, a door does have a jamb, though! How about you?"
"What do you think about our new manager?"
"Well, you know what they say, you can tell a lot about a person by the company they keep. My brother used to hang around with a gangster. People used to think he was a gangster too! We got free drinks everywhere! And look at us two! Well, he certainly knew what he was doing when he picked us, don't you think? How about you?"
Do you see the pattern?
When you are being asked a question that is purely designed to put you in your place, follow these steps:
1. Answer the question obliquely
2. Confuse the questioner
3. Abruptly turn the question back on them
You can of course ignore the question, but there's no point in creating unnecessary conflict, especially with someone who will have many allies who were not as quick-witted as you.
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