Encourage Others to Talk About Themselves

Have you been with people who talk on and on about themselves?  While it may feel tiresome, there is no better way to make a good impression and come across as a great listener and communicator than to let another person self-disclose.

According to Harvard research published in Scientific American, revealing personal information to others produces a high level of activation in neural regions associated with motivation and reward.  In short, it feels good. You can always prime the pump by asking people questions about their experiences, interests, and accomplishments. 

In addition to making your conversation partner feel good and making you look good, there are other benefits to this kind of dialogue. Disclosing personal information to others increases social bonding and interpersonal liking. And sharing information gained through personal experiences can lead to performance advantages by facilitating teamwork.

We want to hear: How do you encourage others to talk about themselves, and what advantages do you think you gain from doing so? To join the conversation, click "comments" on our Community of Practice Forum.

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