First key, Pause 3 to 5 seconds, before you replying or after a person stops the conversation. When you pause you can have three goals, simultaneously:
- You will avoid running into risk of interrupting, if the other person catching his/her breath before continuing.
- You will show other person, that you are showing more interest or consideration by listening carefully and not jumping in, with your own comments
- You can actually hear other person better.
By pausing you mark yourself as a brilliant conversational.
Second Key. Question for Clarification, never assume what other person’s conversation or what is he/her saying, instead; ask, how do you mean? or how do you mean exactly? and then just pause and wait.
Finally, Paraphrase the speakers words in your own words (ex: let me say what I understood or let me rephrase or let me say I got this right) by demonstrating yourself that means you are genuinely listening his/her conversation and making every effort to understand his/her thoughts.
And another wonderful thing if you practice doing this… other people will begin find you fascinating, they will feel relax and happy in your presense and they like to be around you, because if you listen to other people you make other people important.