[dougmwne]

I would say that in the best case we would take turns sharing about something personally important and being listened to and engaged with where we're at instead of quickly pulled off in another direction. For a bit anyway, before you get the ball.

I think the core of this question is generosity of time and attention, each person's ability to suspend their solipsism and engage with the other person as a person of equal importance to themselves. A good conversation is an act of intimacy.

We all want to be heard but no one ever seems to want to do the listening.