Your next line begins with what you hear. Listening means allowing another person’s words and behaviour to affect what you do next.
The core idea
A character may listen for permission, a lie, affection, a weakness, or a reason to leave. A clear need gives attention a focus without fixing every reaction in advance.
How to apply it
Do not rush into a prepared answer. Notice changes in tone, an avoided question, a retreat, or unexpected kindness. Let new information influence your tactics without inventing a dramatic response to every detail.
Try this next
Read a short exchange three times: listen for facts, then for what the other person wants, then for what they may be avoiding. Compare which pass produces the clearest response.
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