Lots of excellent advice...here is something I like to do.

1) Listen w/out interrupting...look for that natural pause. Also take note that if there is no natural pause, that in itself is a clue to: 1) how the person comprehends information 2) treats other ppl as they may not respect other points of view otherwise they would stop with a pause.

2) Ask if you can repeat what you heard...this forces you to become an active listener as you try to retain salient points of the conversation; lets the other person know that you are listening, which has an interesting psychological effect; and finally validates both what you heard and what they said.

Some tips that might be useful