She dissipated their fears, and they could say things to her which they could not say to anyone else.

People thought her an interesting conversationalist because she had this ability to call out the best in others.
If you would make yourself agreeable you must be able to enter into the life of the people you are conversing with, and you must touch them along the lines of their interest.

No matter how much you may know about a subject, if it does not happen to interest those to whom you are talking your efforts will be largely lost.
It is pitiable, sometimes, to see men standing around at the average reception or club gathering, dumb, almost helpless, and powerless to enter heartily into the conversation because they are in a subjective mood.

They are thinking, thinking, thinking business, business, business; thinking how they can get on a little faster--get more business, more clients, more patients, or more readers for their books--or a better house to live in; how they can make more show.

They do not enter heartily into the lives of others, or abandon themselves to the occasion enough to make good talkers.