Ask people about the thing they could talk about for an hour. Then actually let them.

Everybody is carrying one subject they would love to be asked about, and almost nobody gets asked. Opening that door is the easy half; the hard half is letting them run long without steering it back toward you. What you get in return is the version of that person who is actually interesting.

Find out what one person’s hour-long subject is this week, then genuinely sit through it. Ask follow-ups about the parts you do not understand. You will learn something strange, and they will remember you as somebody good to talk to.