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. ~ Dale Carnegie

Acting interested in other people and what they have to say may or may not be a social skill in itself, but it is important step in a variety of other social skills. If you are truly listening to what someone has to say then you must convey this by acting interested.

Dale Carnegie lists as number one  in his “Six steps to Make People Like You”  that you must “Become genuinely interested in other people.” If you become more interested in people then you’ll naturally become a better listener. Carnegie also relates that you must also do the following:
2 Smile.
3 Remember that a man’s name is to him the sweetest and most important sound in any language.
4 Be a good listener. Encourage others to talk about themselves.
5 Talk in the terms of the other person’s interest.
6 Make the other person feel important and do it sincerely.

It becomes easier find out what someone is really passionate about and to dispel negative assumptions that can mess up the communication when you are truly interested in what another person has to say. By listening you may find many similarities between one another and also learn to appreciate the differences.

When you operate as a good listener you will be a positive and pleasant exception among the others who are only waiting for their turn to talk again.

Pay attention to others and you will make them feel good because of the attention, and validating them and their interests. That is how connections are made.

There is no such thing on earth as an uninteresting subject; the only thing that can exist is an uninterested person. ~ G. K. Chesterton (1874 – 1936)