An Easy Way to Become a Good Conversationalist

Ways to Make People Like You

[...] I had done this: I had listened intently. I had listened because I was genuinely interested. And he felt it. Naturally that pleased him. That kind of listening is one of the highest compliments we can pay anyone.

Listening is just as important in one's home life as in the world of business.

[...] many people fail to make a favorable impression because they don't listen attentively.

[...] he had wanted merely a friendly, sympathetic listener to whom he could unburden himself. That's what we all want when we are in trouble. That is frequently all the irritated customer wants, and the dissatisfied employee or the hurt friend.

People who talk only of themselves think only of themselves.

So if you aspire to be a good conversationalist, be an attentive listener. To be interesting, be interested. Ask questions that other persons will enjoy answering. Encourage them to talk about themselves and their accomplishments. Remember that the people you are talking to are a hundred times more interested in themselves and their wants and problems than they are in you and your problems.

Reference:  How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie