The fastest way to make people like you is not to talk well. It’s to care well. Genuine interest is rare, and rarity feels like respect.
Most conversations are disguised monologues. People wait for their turn to speak, then pivot back to themselves. You can feel it. So can everyone else.
Instead, enter with curiosity. Ask about what they’re building, what they enjoy, what they worry about, what they’re proud of. Listen for details, and follow them. Let the conversation unfold around their world, not your performance.
Interest isn’t interrogation. It’s attention with warmth. It shows in your face, your questions, and how you remember small things later.
If you want friends, act like a friend: take pleasure in the other person’s existence. When people feel seen without being used, they relax. Welcome follows naturally.