To listen properly, you must be thinking about what your friend is saying. You must try not to interrupt. While she is talking, don't talk yourself but wait for her to stop speaking before you start. Encourage the person with cancer to talk Good listening doesn't mean just sitting there like a running tape-recorder. You can actually help the person who is ill talk about what's on his mind by encouraging him.
Simple things work very well.
These all sound simple, but at times of maximum stress it's the simple things that help things along. You can also show that you're hearing, and listening, by repeating two or three words from the patient's last sentence. This really does help the talker to feel that their words are being taken on board. You can also repeat back to the talker what you've heard - partly to check that you've got it right, and partly to show that you're listening and trying to understand. If someone stops talking, it usually means that she is thinking about something painful or sensitive.