Comment by Slow_Hand
20 hours ago
Yes yes yes. You rarely need to DO anything other than listen. Just be a good listener. Maybe identify handles in what they're saying and then occasionally ask them about them:
How did that make you feel? Wait, you did what? Why did you do that? What do you enjoy about that?
>You rarely need to DO anything other than listen
There is a particular amount of risk here, this does set you up to interact with attention vacuums. People that will talk constantly without break nor desire to listen to what you have to say. Over any amount of time (weeks/months) a person that you can have a real two way conversation is needed.
In my experience such people are rare. You can always steer the conversation, give your input, tell them (nicely) to stop talking, or - if they're unwilling to take the hint - walk away.