If there is one thing that you can do well when you are building a relationship, think about what you can do to make the other person (in the conversation) feel “good about himself or herself” at the end of your conversation. Lisa Kirk puts this brilliantly as she categorizes people into three types

“A gossip is one who talks to you about others; a bore is one who talks to you about himself; and a brilliant conversationalist is one who talks to you about yourself”
– Lisa Kirk

Courtesy of Brian Clark of CopyBlogger fame.