The person telling you good news deserves a moment before your own story enters.

Good news arrives looking for a place to land. When the response is an immediate parallel story, even an admiring one, the moment gets handed back to the listener and the person who was pleased becomes the audience. Nobody means this as competition; it is usually an attempt to show you understand. The effect is the same, and their news gets shortened.

The next time somebody tells you something good, stay in it. Ask two questions before you say anything about yourself, and let a silence sit there. Your story will still be available in five minutes.