Listen three seconds longer than feels normal. People say the real thing right after the pause.

Most people give the socially acceptable answer first and the true one second, if there is room for it. The gap between them is short and easy to fill, and almost everyone fills it, which is why so many conversations stop one sentence before the useful part. Silence is doing work that talking cannot.

After someone finishes, wait. Count three seconds before you say anything, even if it feels strange. You will be surprised how often they keep going, and how different the second half is from the first.