{"id":6588,"date":"2026-03-17T19:26:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T19:26:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/?p=6588"},"modified":"2026-03-17T19:26:18","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T19:26:18","slug":"communication-experts-say-highly-likable-people-do-10-things-in-conversations-to-build-relationships","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/?p=6588","title":{"rendered":"Communication experts say highly likable people do 10 things in conversations to build relationships"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Make a lasting impression in every chat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making friends<\/a> and developing deeper, stronger relationships starts with good conversation. Sometimes that means small talk at work, while other times it\u2019s the kind of conversation that really takes off at a party.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some people are naturals when it comes to easy, flowing conversation\u2014especially highly likable people, who tend to attract others<\/a> and often hold the key to mastering genuine conversation. From their gestures<\/a> to the way they articulate<\/a> questions, there\u2019s a lot others can learn from them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Communication experts who spoke to Upworthy say there are 10 things highly likable people do during conversations to build stronger relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. They listen without distraction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Listeners often make the best conversationalists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat means not looking at your phone or scanning around the room to see who you want to talk to next,\u201d says Kerri Garbis<\/a>, CEO and founder of Ovation Communication. \u201cFocus on the person in front of you only. Make eye contact. This fosters a relationship because when you are fully present, it signals respect, interest, and helps others feel valued versus like they are competing for your attention.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. They collect data<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Being inquisitive about what people need during conversations is key to building stronger relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you take a moment to ask your colleague or even friend, \u2018What are you worried about? What\u2019s the biggest concern facing you right now?\u2019 you can get great data on how you can help them \u2013 in a way that taps into something urgent and top of mind for them,\u201d says Kate Mason<\/a>, PhD, an executive communications coach and author of Powerfully Likeable: A Woman\u2019s Guide to Effective Communication<\/a><\/em>. \u201cThey\u2019ll remember your thoughtfulness and the actions you took.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. They balance the conversation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Highly likable people never make it all about themselves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSometimes conversations can be \u2018lopsided\u2019 where it\u2019s more about the other person than about you,\u201d says Rob Volpe<\/a>, a communication expert and author of Tell Me More About That: Solving the Empathy Crisis One Conversation at a Time<\/a><\/em>. \u201c<\/em>While that can be okay, you aren\u2019t there to be their therapist. Sometimes the context and topic may make it off balance, but if it continues and you aren\u2019t feeling seen yourself, feel free to say something like \u2018I\u2019d love to share my thoughts on this\u2019 or \u2018May I share something I\u2019m dealing with at the moment?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. They mirror their conversation partner<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Taking cues from body language can foster deeper relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a subtle way to make someone comfortable because they recognize themself in your actions,\u201d says Jennifer Anderson<\/a>, a communication expert who works with entrepreneurs. \u201cYour energy should match the energy of your counterpart. Think relaxing-in-lounge-chair energy vs. about-to-deliver-a-presentation energy. Those are two very different conversations. If you paired them up, there\u2019s definitely about to be some awkwardness.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. They skip pre-planned questions<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

While coming to conversations prepared with questions may help you feel less anxious, highly likable people usually don\u2019t use them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOften people have questions in their back pocket, like about the weather or sports, but the most likeable people in the room are those who can be present in conversations and ask follow-ups based on what someone is talking about,\u201d Garbis says. \u201cThis builds a relationship by making conversations feel relational and not transactional.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. They are self-aware<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Highly likable people are masters of self-awareness, especially during conversations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSelf-awareness of your judgment is key to building relationships,\u201d Volpe says. \u201cWe all carry biases which can block our view of the person standing in front of us. When you catch yourself being judgmental, have some grace with yourself and get curious about the other person as well as where your judgment is coming from. This clears one of the biggest obstacles to having empathy with others.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. They respond with affirmation<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Highly likable people make others feel seen and heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo matter what is coming out of the person\u2019s mouth, make it clear that you\u2019re not judging or competing with them,\u201d Garbis notes. \u201cIf they say: \u2018I went skiing this weekend,\u2019 don\u2019t jump in and say that you also went skiing. Say something like, \u2018Wow, that sounds exciting, tell me more about that.\u2019 You can respond with validating statements like: \u2018That makes sense, or I can see why you\u2019re so good at that, or I can see why that matters to you.\u2019 This reduces defensiveness and nervousness, and it makes people feel safe to be themselves and creates relationships faster.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

8. They remain calm<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Bringing a sense of calm rather than chaos to a conversation can put everyone at ease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCalm is the most powerful communication flex you can do,\u201d Mason says. \u201cIf you can stay calm, especially in a heated conversation, you actually end up looking trustworthy, reliable and unruffled \u2013 all very powerful things to be remembered for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. They remember names<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Highly likable people personalize conversations by using the other person\u2019s name.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNever ever tell people you are terrible at remembering names,\u201d Garbis explains. \u201cThis will tank the conversation because it signals you don\u2019t matter, nothing you say matters, and that you aren\u2019t worth remembering. It makes a person mentally check out of the conversation. Use good tricks like repeating a person\u2019s name at the beginning and again at the end. If you forgot by the end, say something like, \u2018It was so fun to hear about your skiing adventure. By the way, I\u2019m Kerri, it was so nice to meet you, and can you remind me of your name? I don\u2019t want to forget it?\u2019 They\u2019ll be so grateful you repeated your name too!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

10. They use humor where they can<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Finally, highly likable people make sure to infuse conversations with laughter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a great connector,\u201d Anderson notes. \u201cDon\u2019t try to be a standup comic, just find the lighthearted observations and details that you can share in conversations. Humor is never a weapon; judgy and mean-spirited comments convey weakness, not confidence. You\u2019ll risk alienating your conversation partner if you come in with a full roast of your friends or coworkers. If all else fails, everyone loves a Dad Joke.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Make a lasting impression in every chat. Making friends and developing deeper, stronger relationships starts with good conversation. Sometimes that means small talk at work, while<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":6590,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6588","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/625328599_1362213172606337_594927629158524051_n.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6588","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6588"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6588\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6591,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6588\/revisions\/6591"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/6590"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6588"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6588"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/humorsidehub.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6588"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}