Ian Parker, on Jony Ive:

In our conversations, his manner could sometimes be unsettling for the way it combined the tender attentiveness of a suicide-prevention volunteer -- "I was ever so lucky"; "I do hope you have a good flight" -- with a keenness to move the conversation from the particular to the general; his replies, searching for the safe ground of a previously expressed thought, often looped and hedged, or drifted off into a sigh.

Alice Gregory:

Techniques that are encouraged include validation ("What a tough situation"); "tentafiers" ("Do you mind if I ask you ... "); strength identification ("You're a great brother for being so worried about him"); and empathetic responses ("It sounds like you're feeling anxious because of all these rumors"). The implicit theory is that in a conversation people are naturally inclined to fill silences.

Bruce Feiler:

Our instinct is often to say to a friend who's suffering, "Let me know if there's anything you need." While well meaning, this gesture unintentionally shifts the obligation to the aggrieved. Instead of offering "anything," just do something.

Clancy Martin:

Don't worry so much about ferreting out the truth. Take care of each other instead.