Know how to listen, and you will profit even from those who talk badly.

Poor delivery hides useful content all the time. Somebody rambling, defensive or graceless may still be describing something real, and dismissing the message because of the packaging costs you the information. Listening well means separating what is being said from how badly it is being said.

Pick the person whose manner most reliably irritates you. Next time, write down the one thing they might be right about before you reply. It is an unglamorous discipline and it usually pays immediately.