Utter small words of encouragement, such as uh-huh, yes, nice, great, lovely, excellent, right, spot-on. Look for opportunities to use “we” and “us” where appropriate. But we knew that one already, right? Start a conversation by checking in on the other person as a human being. One of my favourite questions is, “What was the high point of the last week for you?” You can deepen that by adding “... and the low point?” Acknowledge how they might be feeling. It can be a simple phrase like, “That sounds hard/difficult/exciting.” You don’t have to go all “therapist” and start talking in metaphors or “analy-speak.