A form of communication I encountered a while back, called 3-way communication, helps with this. Essentially saying back to the person what they tried to commu

A form of communication I encountered a while back, called 3-way communication, helps with this. Essentially saying back to the person what they tried to communicate with you. You can leverage that to lead in with your own comments, as they're primed to listen by listening to their own words given back.