Welcome to first post in the Questions Tall People Get Asked series.
In this series I go over the most common questions tall people get asked, try to make sense of why these questions gets asked and offer some of my typical responses.
If you haven’t yet seen the other parts, you can check them out here (Part 2), here (Part 3) and here (Part 4).
Without further ado, one of the most common questions tall people get asked is:
“Wow, you’re so tall … how tall are you?“
This is the most common reaction and question I get from someone that I meet for the first time. I sometimes actually get asked this question before names are exchanged or I’ve shaken the persons hand!
It’s easy to see why this is such a commonly asked question; in Australia the average height is 176 cm for men and 162 cm for women. So, standing at 196 cm tall (20 – 30 cm above average) makes me quite noticeable.
Being asked this question all the time and always giving the same answer (i.e. my real height) becomes boring after awhile, as you can imagine. So, to make things more interesting for myself I like to mix up my responses. This of course depends on the situation and mood i’m in at the time. At a professional job interview I would most likely give a straight up response however if I’m talking to someone in a more casual environment I like to be more playful.
Some of my favorite responses are:
- tall enough to dunk a basketball
- 1,960 millimeters
- tall enough to reach items on the top shelf at the super market
- about 1.5 times your height
For some other hilarious responses, take a look at this list.
As you can see there is no limit to how you respond, make it into a game and see what the funniest response you can come up with. In most situations this will not only help break the ice but it will take away the focus of your height and usually make the other person smile or laugh which will make you appear less intimidating (this is especially true if the other person is significantly shorter than you).
Fellow tall readers, how do you respond to this question?
Let’s help each other out by sharing your responses and experiences below.
Stand tall, be proud of your height and strive for greatness.
Image credit for not at my level giraffe: here
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