I was taught, by a Master, how to listen to someone complain:
Just go on with whatever you were already doing, but every once in a while, randomly, say "I See what you mean" in a sympathetic voice. Intersperse that with the phrase:
"Yup, I know how you feel"
Soon you will have a life long admirer at no added expense :-)
Haha... I see this reminds me of a TV programme call mind your language where one guy show how you can carry on a conversation just by taking the last 2 words of what the other guy said and turn it into a question.
I guess, if you are a politician or a lobbyist, that would be called: "tricks of the trade."
Agree. I'm sure they all know that survival skill