The surest way to make people like you is to figure out which button to push to get them talking about something that interests them. People love to hear their

The surest way to make people like you is to figure out which button to push to get them talking about something that interests them. People love to hear their own voices, and to talk about their interests. I am a very good listener, and enjoy listening at least as much as talking. If you figure out how to get someone monologuing, they'll eventually stumble into territory you find interesting. You just have to 'convince' your conversant that it's OK to dive deeper into a topic. Ask them to elaborate or explain things that sound interesting. Try to show you're interested and intrigued. This tactic has helped me befriend people I would never have thought twice about if I'd dismissed their casual conversation as uninteresting. People I have absolutely nothing in common with. I've engaged in fascinating, enlightening conversations and lectures on philosophy, programming, design, cooking, life, finance, and more. Some of these conversations were life-changing, and it's all because I pushed the buttons that got people talking deeply about their interests.