Breaking The Ice With @JTWatkin and @JennySueDempsey

Jenny wrote an excellent post about the importance of ice breaker questions in meetings to help ease tension and build trust.  In it, she mentioned a couple of our favorite ice breaker questions.  In this post, we’re going to answer a few of those questions and allow you to get to know us a little bit better.

Before we go any further however, this is a participatory post.  If you read it, you are legally obligated to answer the questions in the comments.  Ok, not really, but we would love to hear from you.

Question #1- What is your favorite vegetable?

Jenny: Mmm vegetables! I pretty much love all vegetables but am a giant fan of cauliflower, carrots and broccoli. Little known fact: I was a vegetarian for 6 years at one point in my life (though I am no longer).

Jeremy: There are two types of people in the world, those that like vegetables and those who don’t.  I LOVE them.  Lately I’ve been on a roasting kick and will frequently do cauliflower, beets, carrots and sweet potatoes all at once.  It’s like a party in my oven.

Question #2- What’s the dumbest thing you’ve ever done?

Jenny: I’ve done more than one dumb thing so it’s hard to narrow it down but one time, at a Phillies baseball game, I thought it would be a good idea to stand on the folding chair in the stand and hop up to the next level to leave the aisle instead of pushing my way through the crowd. Well, I slipped, my foot fell through the back of the chair and lodged itself sideways, between the back. Each time I tried to lift it up, it would squeeze. People rushed to help me get my foot out and by that time, I had a gnarly bruise and a baseball sized twisted ankle.

Jeremy: The one that I keep coming back to is when I was particularly frustrated with my boss at the time.  I decided to vent to a coworker over instant messenger, except that I didn’t vent to a coworker.  I vented to my boss.  He responded saying “Hey is this a joke or do we need to have a conversation.”  I said “We need to have a conversation.”  We actually talked through my frustration like grown adults.  I learned a couple valuable lessons on that one!

Question #3- If you could be anywhere but here right now, where would you be?

Jenny: Lounging on a beach somewhere in the Mediterranean on a warm day with a salty sea side breeze flowing and a glass of chilled pinot grigio in my hand.

Jeremy: Right this moment I wish I was hiking up a really tall mountain, preferably a 14er in Colorado.  The fresh air and absence of electronics and people sounds magical.

Question #4- What keeps you motivated to deliver awesome customer service?

Jenny: Knowing that at the end of the day, we’re all just people helping people. And if I can make an impact in someone’s day by delivering awesome customer service, then I feel I have a teeny tiny purpose in this giant world.

Jeremy: As a runner, it’s safe to say I’m addicted to the “runner’s high.”  In a similar fashion, I get a tremendous rush of energy and sense of accomplishment when I make a meaningful connection with another person and we work together to solve a problem.  To work at a company like Phone.com that values this with other people that value this and do it so well is just icing on the cake!

There you have it.  We bore our souls to you and now it’s your turn to leave us a comment.  We look forward to breaking the ice with you.

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