Reflect and repeat

Often miscommunication happens when we assume that what we have understood from the other is what was meant by them. Often what we understand depends on our own perceptions, our mental dictionaries, our past experiences, and has actually nothing to do with what the other person meant by what they said. An easy way to prevent this is to engage in reflection and repetition. So repeat after me:

"I heard you say that........ Is that correct?"
"From that I understand that....... Is that correct?"

By repeating back what the person said to you (I heard you say...) and then checking with them whether you heard correctly ensures that you have heard them correctly and not missed anything and reflecting what you heard (I understand that....), you ensure that there has been no difference in perception of what was said.