What tools to use when designating yourself as a good listener???

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My thread is to come up aand provide some good tools to offer in helping a person to be a great listener. My approach has always been to allow the person to speak first while I assess the situation, looking for particular body language and watch for stress from the person looking for the assistance. Some times a person may not be able to express themselves and have a hard time stating what their problem maybe, and that is when the listener has to control themselves from the temptation of talking over the person you are trying to help. The best approach I found was waiting for the other person to pause and look for your suggestion before speaking up, and if the urge to talk is so overwhelming, ask the person to pause for a moment, that there is an idea or suggestion you wnat to offer at this time, before the suggestion or idea escapes you. It works for me for the most part. Any other suggestions are appreciated. Thank you, Tweenis