I think most people are capable of listening and formulating a reply simultaneously, particularly if the reply is along the lines of "oh really" or "me too" whi

I think most people are capable of listening and formulating a reply simultaneously, particularly if the reply is along the lines of "oh really" or "me too" which I suspect is the sort of rapid response that research indicates people prefer to pauses. I'm not convinced a swiftly delivered "but enough of that, let me tell you a very interesting fact about..." has quite the same positive effect :)