In Others' Words: Conversations

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"Most conversations are simply monologues delivered in the presence of a witness." ~ Margaret Millar, American-Canadian mystery-suspense writer

Do I ever come across like that out-of-proportion-mostly-a-mouth woman pictured above?

Oh, how I hope not.

Do I participate in conversations with friends and family? Or do I act like some sort of running off at the mouth comedian positioned front and center stage or — gasp! — a politician vying for votes and talking, talking, talking?

I've witnessed drive-by monologues — and been victimized by them too. "Conversations" where I wasn't certain the other person even listened to what they said. (I didn't.) Every single spoken word, phrase and sentence was about them … and repeat, repeat, repeat.

In Your Words: How do you ensure that a conversation is a verbal two-way street — a little bit of you, a little bit of  someone else, a little bit of you, a little bit of someone else? Any tips for turning a monologue into a dialogue?