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The Art of Active Listening: How People at Work Feel Heard, Valued, and Understood
Improve communication, engagement, and culture with active listening.
When employees, colleagues, and customers are not being heard, organizational culture, employee happiness, and overall organizational success will suffer. How well do you listen?
Active listening is the doorway to increased belonging, loyalty, profitability, innovation, and so much more. It is the difference between thinking we understand what people want and knowing what they want. Want to build stronger relationships, avoid misunderstandings, and anticipate problems before they surface at work?
All you have to do is listen .
The Art of Active Listening introduces a 5-step framework that shows you how to listen successfully and act upon what you are hearing. Readers will discover how
Backed by her personal review of over 30,000 employee and customer surveys and facilitation of 100’s of focus groups, Younger discovered one universal We all want to be heard. We want our voices to matter. We want the work we do to matter.
When we get this right - when we listen to our employees and customers and care about them not just for what they can do but for who they ARE - they can and will move mountains.
Using the tools provided in this book, you can implement active listening, regardless of whether you’re in-person or virtual, that benefits all team members and customers, strengthens overall engagement, improves organizational culture and creates a space for everyone to have a voice.
When those at work feel heard, they will do whatever it takes to achieve outcomes that serve your relationship and your organization.
When employees, colleagues, and customers are not being heard, organizational culture, employee happiness, and overall organizational success will suffer. How well do you listen?
Active listening is the doorway to increased belonging, loyalty, profitability, innovation, and so much more. It is the difference between thinking we understand what people want and knowing what they want. Want to build stronger relationships, avoid misunderstandings, and anticipate problems before they surface at work?
All you have to do is listen .
The Art of Active Listening introduces a 5-step framework that shows you how to listen successfully and act upon what you are hearing. Readers will discover how
Backed by her personal review of over 30,000 employee and customer surveys and facilitation of 100’s of focus groups, Younger discovered one universal We all want to be heard. We want our voices to matter. We want the work we do to matter.
When we get this right - when we listen to our employees and customers and care about them not just for what they can do but for who they ARE - they can and will move mountains.
Using the tools provided in this book, you can implement active listening, regardless of whether you’re in-person or virtual, that benefits all team members and customers, strengthens overall engagement, improves organizational culture and creates a space for everyone to have a voice.
When those at work feel heard, they will do whatever it takes to achieve outcomes that serve your relationship and your organization.
160 pages, Paperback
Published April 25, 2023
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
August 16, 2024
Good framework for Active Listening:
1. Recognize unsaid
2. Seek to understand
3. Decode
4. Act
5. Close the loop, with the last 2 being the hardest to master and very powerful
There were some gems in content, but way too much self-promotion.
1. Recognize unsaid
2. Seek to understand
3. Decode
4. Act
5. Close the loop, with the last 2 being the hardest to master and very powerful
There were some gems in content, but way too much self-promotion.
May 5, 2023
A solid entry level book to start listening better.
My favourite part was the inclusion of reflection questions about how we feel, how we show up, how present we were, what our thoughts and potential biases are.
One of the most important component: close the loop in a discussion.
Best for first time managers who want a easy to read and implement handbook.
My favourite part was the inclusion of reflection questions about how we feel, how we show up, how present we were, what our thoughts and potential biases are.
One of the most important component: close the loop in a discussion.
Best for first time managers who want a easy to read and implement handbook.
December 29, 2023
A good friend recommended this book to me and I am very glad she did.
I have learned more in listening to this book than I have in a long while.
I have learned more in listening to this book than I have in a long while.
February 22, 2024
Great read, highly recommend!
July 28, 2023
I'm on a personal journey to better myself and become a better leader.
Active Listening is a skill that I've heard of before this book. I do agree that it's an essential skill regardless of field or position.
This book serves as an entry level guide to active listening. A lot of the steps/methodology may seem like common sense; however, it's nice to have everything listed in an actionable process.
I do wish that there was more concrete examples of active listening. Personally, I have conducted roles including: teaching children, being a customer service clerk, mentoring immigrant students and networking to customers and staff members.
I feel like there're different and more effective ways to communicate and listen to different people.
As an entry level book, it doesn't go too deep into the substance and nuance of listening and communicating.
Active Listening is a skill that I've heard of before this book. I do agree that it's an essential skill regardless of field or position.
This book serves as an entry level guide to active listening. A lot of the steps/methodology may seem like common sense; however, it's nice to have everything listed in an actionable process.
I do wish that there was more concrete examples of active listening. Personally, I have conducted roles including: teaching children, being a customer service clerk, mentoring immigrant students and networking to customers and staff members.
I feel like there're different and more effective ways to communicate and listen to different people.
As an entry level book, it doesn't go too deep into the substance and nuance of listening and communicating.
October 10, 2023
I’ve not read anything from Heather R. Younger, but I do like this book. Wish it would have been written 40 years ago. Listening, really listening, is an acquired skill, and Younger provides tips and tools to help. In addition to being well written, there are a lot of things that make this book worth reading. Not only tailored for face-to-face communications, each chapter includes tips for listening in the virtual world. In addition, each chapter includes an opportunity to reflect on some lessons learned and applying the concepts. A discussion guide and QR Codes to additional resources complete the package. Highly recommend this book for leaders, both long-time and new. It won’t disappoint.
November 16, 2023
Do you want to improve your relationships and communication? Heather Younger in her book, "The Art of Active Listening: How People at Work Feel Heard, Valued and Understood" says that there are five steps to active listening: Recognize the Unsaid, Seek to Understand, Decode, Act and Close the Loop. Each of these steps is covered in a chapter of the book and each chapter ends with a way to practice the activity as well as how you can do it in a virtual setting.
This book is a guide that gives you easy to follow tips on improving your listening and communication and can be referred to again and again as you strive to improve.
This book is a guide that gives you easy to follow tips on improving your listening and communication and can be referred to again and again as you strive to improve.
April 5, 2026
I threw in the towel two chapters in. If it's one thing that I absolutely hate about 'self-improvement' is self promotion. The author might want to help readers become better listeners, but she also wants to make sure the reader knows all about her professional milestones and experiences. The word 'I' and 'my' came up way too much. How about actual statistics not 'real life' scenarios the author witnessed. It lacks depth. I also dont get how this books is less than a 100 pages but costs over 20 dollars. I'm glad I checked this out at the library.
April 6, 2024
A Must-Read Book for Anyone who wants to become a better listener
I love the easy-to-follow practical 5-step framework that author and engaging podcast host, Heather R. Younger shares to help readers implement more effective listening skills in the workplace and in life. Excellent strategies, thought-provoking reflective questions, and wonderful and useful resources help make this book a must-read and a must-have!
I love the easy-to-follow practical 5-step framework that author and engaging podcast host, Heather R. Younger shares to help readers implement more effective listening skills in the workplace and in life. Excellent strategies, thought-provoking reflective questions, and wonderful and useful resources help make this book a must-read and a must-have!
February 11, 2025
This book is an absolute breakthrough for anyone looking to elevate their career, nurture relationships, and enhance their communication skills. The author's insightful strategies and practical advice, coupled with an easy-to-read style, make it a must-read for aspiring leaders and keen listeners alike. I thoroughly enjoyed it and wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone eager to succeed and make meaningful connections in all areas of life.
November 8, 2023
Are you looking to improve your morale and boost production? Then check out Heather R. Young’s book The Art of Active Listening. She maps out a blue print to ensure your teammates, customers, and you can be heard, seen and valued. This blue print will boost morale which in turn will help production!
October 4, 2024
As books I read for no reason other than I have nothing to do at work go, this wasn't terrible. I just didn't find it to really contain much of anything new in terms of ideas or how to go about being an active listener. It wasn't poorly written, just not all that interesting. It wasn't an awful way to kill a slow work day, though.
September 10, 2025
Summary.
Active listening is important because it allows the people you work with to feel heard and appreciated. There was this one company that didn’t practice active listening and bad things happened. There was this one guy that practiced active listening and his employees were happy.
Now read that 50 times over and over and you have this book.
Active listening is important because it allows the people you work with to feel heard and appreciated. There was this one company that didn’t practice active listening and bad things happened. There was this one guy that practiced active listening and his employees were happy.
Now read that 50 times over and over and you have this book.
July 18, 2023
I can see this book would be useful in the work place and I recommend it for the readers who are looking for a simple and useful book to use. But it was written for a very narrow audience, and I found that I was not one of them.
August 15, 2023
A skill we could all improve on, active listening. This short work is well worth taking the time to read and figure out how to apply to our own lives.
This is an excellent outline of the importance of listening, how to listen and the positive and negative impacts depending on how well we listen.
This is an excellent outline of the importance of listening, how to listen and the positive and negative impacts depending on how well we listen.
June 27, 2024
Good read with some applicable takeaways. The illustrations in the book were helpful to not only show some of the advantages of active listening, but also shared insights into some of the negative consequences of not tuning in to communication at this level.
January 22, 2026
Way too many "Me, me, me..." examples that didn't really offer a generalized rule but rather brush the author's ego by showcasing how amazingly successfully she's managed trillions of losers and has turned them into huge successes. Not my cup of tea.
April 25, 2023
See my review: https://catholicwomeninbusiness.com/a...
October 5, 2023
Great Read and love the examples given!
Stanley
Stanley
December 17, 2023
A very nice introduction piece that gives out concrete principles.
May 20, 2023
Solid Principles on how to be a Great Listner
Very solid book on how to be a more effective listener. Broken down into five key principles with both the why and how fully developed. Good book to read and than apply, especially in our leadership roles. Read and benefit.
Very solid book on how to be a more effective listener. Broken down into five key principles with both the why and how fully developed. Good book to read and than apply, especially in our leadership roles. Read and benefit.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews