Want to learn how to communicate better? The first step is to ask yourself one simple question: who would you call after a particularly bad day?

According to Charles Duhigg – journalist, researcher and author of Supercommunicators: How To Unlock The Secret Language Of Connection – the person you’d ring following a terrible work meeting, bad date or a plumbing crisis is your own personal supercommunicator. It’s the person who listens closely, knows exactly what you need to hear and can connect with you better than anyone else.

While this person might feel special to you, Duhigg explains that there are some people who manage to make almost anyone feel this way. “These are the consistent supercommunicators,” he says. “It’s not that they’re more charismatic or more of an extrovert, it’s that they’ve thought a little bit deeper about how communication works and learned a few skills to make it easier to connect.”

From forging a deeper connection with friends and improving your relationship to getting along better with colleagues, Duhigg explains that people who excel at communication are seen as more popular and trustworthy.

How to communicate better: 6 easy skills that help supercommunicators connect with anyone