How to make people like you immediately?

Try the MIRROR technique. If a person is joking, joke back. Your interlocutor is sad? Be in solidarity with her/him. In case he/she is in a hurry to share the news, listen just as enthusiastically. Try also to pay attention to the person's gestures: if she or he is sharply avoiding answering the question or starting staring at the phone, it means that you've touched upon a painful issue and there's no need to continue.