Try asking each other:

• When something’s on your mind, do you prefer to talk straight away or take time first?

• When you share something, what helps most in that moment?

• When do you want me to listen, and when do you want input?

• Is there anything I do when you’re talking that makes it harder to open up?

The bite-size version

• Feeling understood takes more than just talking

• People process things in different ways

• Sometimes listening is more helpful than solving

• The way you respond shapes how something lands

• Feeling heard makes conversations easier

A Jewish lens

In Jewish thought, lashon (speech) is seen as something powerful. Words have the ability to build connection or create distance. Because of this, there is a strong emphasis not only on what is said, but how it is said, and how it is heard.