Asking to hear more about someone’s experience, saying that their point of view makes sense, offering support, naming something appreciated about them, praising how a tough situation was handled, and asking permission to be honest: those are six phrases that, according to YourTango, make people instantly trust someone. The list comes from a YourTango article by Zayda Slabbekoorn, last updated Aug. 24, 2026, on what “naturally trustworthy” people say in casual conversation.
The article’s premise is simple: trust is built in ordinary exchanges, not grand speeches. Six of its ten phrases are covered here, each paired with the reasoning the site and its quoted experts give for why it works.
Phrases That Make Space for Others
The first three phrases share one job: they put the other person at the center of the conversation. Frenz Hub’s list of social norms that should be abandoned is a good companion read on habits worth rethinking, and these phrases offer a simple replacement for talking over people.
1. An invitation to hear more about their experience
YourTango quotes leadership expert Kristin Bledsoe, who says naturally trustworthy people can compromise and find common ground, which strengthens a sense of belonging in any kind of relationship. Focusing on what people share, the article adds, breaks down barriers that cause disconnection. Asking someone to say more is the cheapest way to start, and it needs no special setting, whether at a family dinner or a staff meeting. A list of phrases kind people use without thinking contains plenty of other openers in the same spirit. Frenz Hub’s tour of boomer habits that are making a comeback is another nudge toward conversation that is slower and warmer.
2. Saying their point of view makes sense
The second phrase tells someone their reasoning has been understood, even if it is not shared. YourTango says that removing ego and self-interest from a conversation lets people lead with empathy. Instead of waiting for a turn to talk or handing out unsolicited advice, the article suggests using lines that make room for the other person to speak. That discipline is one of the things women who know their worth do, and it is often confused with silence. Frenz Hub’s roundup of the hardest truths to accept in life according to baby boomers makes a similar point about listening before judging.
3. Asking how to help
YourTango says people who make others feel valued and supported create a sense of security that brings them closer, and that showing real concern for someone’s struggles earns trust as a pillar of respect. The phrasing matters here: it asks what would help, not what the helper thinks should happen. Phrases that do the opposite show up in a piece on phrases emotionally intelligent people rarely say, and the contrast shows up again in the phrases people who constantly lie tend to use in everyday conversation, where the words cover tracks instead of building connection.
Phrases That Show Appreciation
4. Naming something appreciated about them
The fourth phrase is direct appreciation. YourTango cites April Litchford, an assistant professor at Utah State University, who noted that the more kindness and compassion a person expresses, the more comes back. Her Utah State University Extension piece on the power of kindness says showing kindness is known to help build social bonds and increase trust and acceptance in relationships. A note of thanks costs nothing, which is also why old-fashioned manners parents insisted on never quite went out of style.
5. Praising how they handled a tough situation
The fifth phrase is a sincere compliment about how someone navigated a difficult moment. According to YourTango, intentional praise helps people feel appreciated and understood, even when it comes in a passing line. The article’s reasoning is that people trust those who make them feel seen. The key word for praise is sincere: a compliment that names the specific thing that went well lands harder than a general “good job.”
The Phrase That Asks Permission
6. Asking permission to be honest
The last phrase is the question that comes before a hard truth. YourTango quotes Jim Clemmer, a Canadian strategic partner of Zenger Folkman, a firm known for developing leaders, who says honesty is the foundation of being a naturally trustworthy person. The article says that offering honest, thoughtful feedback and being a consistent listening ear tells people they can count on someone to be straight with them.
How to Use the Six Without Sounding Scripted
A list of phrases has a drawback of its own: used mechanically, they can sound like a customer-service script. The YourTango article does not claim otherwise, and the quoted experts are talking about attitudes first and wording second. The phrases work as shorthand for habits such as curiosity, empathy, generosity and candor.
Context also counts. A boss, a neighbor and a spouse hear the same words differently, and a line that sounds warm in one setting may sound stiff in another. Tone, timing and follow-through carry as much weight as the sentence itself. Someone who asks how to help and then does not help will teach people to ignore the question. The same goes for the other five: a phrase works only when the actions that follow it match what it promised.
The simplest takeaway is that trust grows from small, repeated acts of attention. Six short phrases will not do the work alone, but they are an easy place to start.
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
Image: Rufino – CC BY-SA 2.0/Wikimedia Commons
