The key to great conversations

The key to great conversations is to focus on learning about the other person, rather than on talking about yourself. What interesting experiences has my conversation partner had in the past? What are they passionate about? What do they struggle with?

Imagine yourself entering a conversation with a genuine curiosity for the other person. How will the conversation go? First, there'll be no awkward silence. Since you are genuinely curious about the other person, you'll ask follow-up questions to dig deeper when your conversation partner shares something about themselves. Second, you will not waste time on boring small talk. Because you're eager to actually learn about the other person, you will steer the conversation to meaningful topics. Third, the other person will (probably) find you sympathetic. If someone feels that you're genuinely interested in them, they will feel taken seriously and appreciated. As Dale Carnegie put it, "You can make more friends in two months by becoming interested in other people than you can in two years by trying to get other people interested in you".