Perhaps they would charge for time. People who order a cup of coffee and linger over the paper pay more than those who grab lunch to go. Now try this technique on your problem. Just relax and have fun. The practical dimensions can come to you later.
Most people immediately try to figure out what's wrong.
We attribute meaning to the behavior, thinking that Jack is bored. Or we may close down because Jack does not care what we have to say. Sometimes emotions or physical condition cloud communication. What a listener calls irritability can really be fatigue. What is read as apathy can mean a headache.