The 2 Biggest Reasons Why You Should Get to Know Someone

Two people getting to know each other by talking on the street

Why is getting to know someone so vital to our well-being? How can you improve your moral character and society at the same time? According to David Brooks, there are two reasons why getting know people is important. Knowing other people is a moral act that helps us develop our character as individuals, and it’s also a social act that can help us reverse negative changes in the modern world. Let’s take a closer look at both of these ideas. 

How to Understand People Better: 3 Social Skills to Practice

A man and woman looking at a whiteboard that reads "PEOPLE" to learn how to understand people better

Do you feel like you don’t know the people around you very well? Do you want to know how to understand people better? While learning to know other people is crucial, David Brooks acknowledges that it takes a lot of time and effort to cultivate this skill. But he contends that anybody can learn to know others by mastering three skills. Let’s examine each of these skills in more detail so you can learn how to practice them. 

How to Make Someone Feel Seen and Truly Heard

A man flashing a light on another person, showing how to make someone feel seen

Do you want to make people feel seen? How can you appear interested in what people are sharing with you? David Brooks explains that it’s crucial to interact with others in ways that show them you appreciate them and want to understand them. This involves several skills you can practice every day, such as being open to what people share with you. Here’s how Brooks recommends learning how to make someone feel seen.

How to Improve Conversational Skills & Connect With People

A man and a woman learning how to improve conversational skills by talking to each other

Do you struggle to carry conversations? What types of skills do you need to enliven a discussion with someone? David Brooks says that you can have compelling, enriching conversations even with people you’re still getting to know. That’s especially true if you make a point of cultivating your conversational skills. Check out how to improve conversational skills so you can have rich discussions with people.

How to Be More Engaging in Conversations: 3 Tips

A woman who knows how to engage people, talking to them at a coffee shop

Do you want to have engaging conversations? How can you show people you’re interested in their stories? Once you’ve begun to cultivate the skills that help you make others feel understood, you need to engage fully with the stories that others tell you. These stories will most likely be about who someone is, where they’ve been, and where they want to go. Let’s explore three ways you can learn how to be more engaging in conversations.

How to Ask Good Questions to Get Good Answers

A woman surrounded by question marks, wondering how to ask good questions

Do you know how to ask good questions? What kind of questions should you ask people in everyday conversations? Conversations will hardly get anywhere without inquiries. The first step to engaging more deeply in someone’s story is to learn to ask good questions, specifically, insightful ones. Continue reading to learn about the art of asking questions in deep conversations.

How to Improve Your Social Skills: 3 Tips for Everyone

A person who needs to learn how to improve social skills, standing alone at a party full of poeple

Do want to know how to improve your social skills? Do you sometimes center the conversation back on yourself? As we practice learning to know others, we often have to work to counter some of our natural tendencies. These include the tendency to see things in a self-centered way, to be impatient rather than empathetic, or to shy away from the messy parts of others’ lives. Let’s take a look at how you can work on these tendencies by improving your social skills.

How to Stop Thinking About Yourself When Socializing

A woman who needs to stop thinking about herself, with a person in a thought bubble crossed out by a red X

Do you catch yourself thinking only about you while someone else is talking? How can you steer the conversation back to the other person? We’re all at the center of our own worlds, and we naturally center ourselves in our thoughts and our conversations. David Brooks explains that by stepping back from your ego and how it wants you to see the world, you can make more room for other people. Keep reading to learn how to stop thinking about yourself during conversations.

The Top How to Know a Person Quotes About Social Situations

A woman reading a book outside in the woods

What are the best How to Know a Person quotes? What happens when you’re too absorbed in your own life? In How to Know a Person (2023), David Brooks argues that our relationships are in decline—and the morality of our society with them—because many of us have lost touch with our ability to know other people well. Brooks writes that knowing others enables us to see across political divides, racial lines, and geographic distances, allowing us to truly understand one another. Keep reading to discover four How to Know a Person quotes to get the main ideas from the book.