Before you decide who someone is, ask one real question about them.

Judgments form quickly and then start collecting evidence for themselves. Once you have decided what someone is like, you notice the things that confirm it and discount the things that do not, and the picture hardens without ever being tested. A single genuine question, asked before the verdict, usually complicates the story in a useful way.

Think of someone you have already made up your mind about and ask them something you do not know the answer to. Listen to the whole answer rather than the part that fits. You do not have to end up liking them; you only have to be accurate.