If the wrong question is asked it can lead the conversation in a dead end direction. She was gorgeous. The man will be further saddened by his loss, and will feel like a loser. All these examples encourage further exploration, and do not suggest judgment of any kind. 5. The last and perhaps the most important technique to be discussed, is silence.
Silence makes people uncomfortable.
It is laden with thought, and sometimes pain. Too often people are afraid to wait out the silence and jump in to fill it up with words. A good listener is comfortable with silence, and knows that it bears much emotional fruit. Sometimes waiting out several minutes of silence will give the speaker a chance to dig deep for a much needed insight. The listener needs to sit through the silence and let the speaker sort through the angst.