If you talked for most of the hangout, you learned the least.

An hour of talking feels like connection while it is happening, which is why it can leave you with nothing new. Everything you said, you already knew. The other person spent that time as an audience, and whatever was going on with them stayed unsaid. You walk out with the same information you walked in with.

Next time you are with someone, notice roughly who is holding the floor. If it is you, ask something and then sit in the pause instead of filling it. One good question usually gets you further than three stories.