It may seem like someone is asking for advice—and they may think they want advice—but in reality all they want to do is vent or dump their problem off on you. So you need to assess if the person is actually asking for advice before opening your mouth. 1. Has this person told you what the problem is and why it is important? 2. Have they presented a few possible solutions—given you an indication that they have done some research and aren’t planning to hand the problem over to y