Become a mindful listener at work. Listening is a critical skill that leaders and managers often take for granted. By learning to listen mindfully, you can keep your employees more engaged, foster the discovery of new ideas, and hear what you need to hear in a discussion rather than what you expect to hear. The book will teach you what great listeners do, how to stay fully present in challenging conversations, and how empathic listening can help others learn and grow. This volume includes the work
5 Stars! I've been trying to read more non-fiction lately and this book was suggested to me by my father.
I really enjoyed it, the book was divided into 11 articles by various people. The concept was explained very clearly and I found it easy to understand. It also helped me identify how I could improve my listening skills and how my poor listening could be impacting others.
Eager to check out the rest of the HBR Emotional intelligence series!
A cualquier persona que esté aspirando ser un mejor líder, un mejor espos@, hij@, padre o madre, las tácticas acá expuestas son tan memorables como simples y sencillas de aplicar, no es ciencia nuclear pero si es presencia especial 🤙👌
1) be a sponge when listening. Let go of your judgement and absorb as much as you can. Most of peoples problems need to be heard. Wait til they finish. Avoid giving solutions right away unless asked.
2) ask questions that dive deeper. Explore the persons ideas
3)A good leader is someone who hears other. Some might fear that beneath there power or rank but that’s not was a good leader does.
Một vài bài viết hay về chuyện lắng nghe với chánh niệm. Tuy vậy chánh niệm không được đề cập rõ ràng. Kỹ năng lắng nghe cũng không được phân tích kỹ lưỡng. Đọc để tham khảo và có cái nhìn nhất định về mindful listening và có thể bắt đầu vài bước cơ bản để thực tập.
un libro muy completo sobre como ser una persona muy receptiva de infomracion, te ayuda a poder utilizar esa informacionde manera correcta, y como consecuencia tener una comunicacion mas acertiva y objetiva.
Super quick read. Digestible tips to help reground myself in the power of listening. Love any of the content that had to do with silencing your inner voice, when listening to others.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Very insightful reading. I just realised I do more work everyday that what I am obliged to do and I relate to being a mindful listener, but also implementing those breaks/strategies that the book speaks of and other voices in our head. To be aware of this skill is great, to have it, chef’s kiss. A great fast read. I recommend.
Mindful listening is an active skill, not a passive one. It is not staying quiet, waiting your turn, or preparing a response. It is the deliberate choice to fully attend to another person with the goal of understanding what they mean, not just what they say.
Great listeners ask good questions. Questions surface insight, build trust, and move conversations forward. The best conversations feel cooperative, not competitive. Feedback flows both ways. The listener’s job is to create a safe environment where differences can be explored openly without fear of judgment.
Listening builds the other person’s confidence. When people feel heard, they feel respected and valued. This lowers defensiveness and raises the quality of thinking. Psychological safety is the foundation. Without it, feedback feels like threat, and people protect themselves instead of engaging.
Most listening failures come from distraction, ego, or premature judgment. We listen to confirm our beliefs, defend our position, or win the exchange. Mindful listening requires resisting the urge to interrupt, fix, or evaluate too early. Suspend judgment long enough to fully understand the other person’s perspective.
Leaders must be especially careful. Power changes how feedback is received. When leaders talk too much, people shut down. When leaders listen well, people open up. Often, when someone brings you a problem, they want to be heard first, not solved immediately.
Listening also requires awareness of internal noise. The critical voice in your head competes for attention and pulls you out of the moment. The goal is not to silence it, but to notice it and return focus to the speaker. Ask yourself whether that voice is useful right now.
Strong listening includes noticing what is not being said. Tone, body language, pacing, and emotion carry meaning. Reflecting back what you hear helps ensure accuracy and signals respect. Summarizing clarifies alignment and prevents misunderstanding.
Listening is effortful. It costs time, attention, and energy. It can feel risky because it may lead to change. But it is one of the highest leverage tools for influence, trust, and performance. Listening does not replace feedback, it makes feedback effective.
If you want people to change, stop talking and start listening.
Appendix:
What Great Listeners Do
Ask questions that prompt discovery and insight Create cooperative conversations rather than competitive ones Build the other person’s self esteem and confidence Create safety so issues and differences can be discussed openly Act as a trampoline for ideas, helping others think more clearly
What Gets in the Way of Listening
Distraction and multitasking Listening to respond rather than understand Confirmation bias and belief defense Ego, status, and fear of being wrong Jumping to judgment too quickly
Listening to People You Disagree With
Withhold evaluation until you fully understand their point Seek evidence that challenges your own belief Focus on understanding before persuading Ask what they care about and why
How Leaders Can Listen Better
Pay attention to verbal and nonverbal cues Acknowledge feelings as well as facts Summarize and reflect key points Respond with intention rather than impulse Listen more when emotions are high
Levels of Listening
Over listening, distracted and multitasking Reactive listening, defensive and evaluative Responsible listening, attentive but transactional Receptive listening, fully present and open
Defusing Emotionally Charged Conversations
Balance task and relationship Use empathy, acknowledgment, respect, and partnership Avoid fight or flight dynamics Restore psychological safety first
Managing the Inner Critic While Listening
Notice the critical voice without engaging it Do not judge it or obey it automatically Return attention to the speaker Focus on the outcome you want from the conversation
When You Are the Emotional Anchor
Listening can drain energy, especially without support Set boundaries and practice self care Learn to say no without guilt Understand that helping does not mean absorbing everything
I picked this up intending to read the section by Guy Itzchakov and Avraham N. Kluger called "The Power of Listening in Helping People Change," but it was such a slim book that I read the entire work. It's clearly for WORK SITUATIONS.
Itzchakov and Kluger reported from multiple research studies that confirmed; "experiencing high-quality (attentive, empathetic, and nonjudgmental) listening can positively shape speaker's emotions and attitudes." It helps the speaker want to share a positive attitude and also helps the speaker see both sides of an argument or issue (called "attitude complexity").
They characterized "good listening" as including asking questions and reflecting, and in groups (like a listening circle) it would be characterized by having only one person talking at a time, and listening without interrupting.
For the business community (the intended audience of this book), the message was that attentive listening to an employee talk about their own experiences first can make giving feedback more productive - the employee will feel more psychologically safe and less defensive.
Their tips on being a good listener: 1. Give 100% of your attention. Put aside your phone, look at the speaker, even if they don't look back. 2. Do not interrupt. Practice delaying your responses until you build up your capacity and attention span. 3. Do not judge or evaluate. Avoid jumping to conclusions or interpreting what you hear. Notice your thoughts, and if you realize you've lost track of the conversation, apologize, explain that you got distracted, and ask them to repeat what they said. 4. Don't impose your solutions. Your role is to help the speaker come up with a solution on their own. If you *must* offer a solution, frame it as a question, such as: "I wonder what would happen if you chose to do..." 5. Ask more good questions. Ask questions the speaker might need help with. A good all-purpose question is: "Is there anything else?" 6. Self reflect afterwards. Consider your listening, think about missed opportunities, potential leads, or unasked questions.
I also appreciated the essay "Defusing an Emotionally Charged Conversation with a Colleague" by Ron Friedman, which described using a "specific series of relationship-building statements to make the conversation more productive" (using the acronym PEARLS):
Partnership. Ex: "I really want to work on this with you." or "I bet we can figure this out together." Empathy. "I can feel your enthusiasm as you talk." or "I can hear your concern." Acknowledgment. "You clearly put a lot of work into this." or "You invested in this, and it shows." Respect. "I've always appreciated your curiosity." or "There's no doubt you know a lot about this." Legitimation. "This would be hard for anyone." or "Who wouldn't be worried about something like this?" Support. "I'd like to help you with this." or "I want to see you succeed."
These are very much about work environments, but I think the messages and techniques for being a good listener and the advice about putting others at ease through verbal acknowledgment, appreciation, and empathy are relevant to all interactions!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Just finished reading a book by the Harvard Business Review called Mindful Listening. I found it to be pretty interesting. There were some valuable insights I learned within. The following couple of paragraphs are directly from the book...
“To listen is to pay attention to. Listening means stepping outside one’s own interests, to actually want to know more, and to care what others’ interests are. To not just hear words but to pay attention to the underlying needs and frames of reference.”
“Which gets to why we aren’t already great listeners. We’re afraid that if we’re listening, we’re not advocating for our own ideas and why those ideas matter. We’re afraid we’re giving up on our convictions.”
This seems right on to me. In fact, it makes me acknowledge that I’m not that great of a listener and I have a lot of work to do to become one. But that’s okay!
At one point in the book, I read something that I already knew and my mind immediately went to, “this book is boring, I want to learn something new.” My attention literally went away from the message. I wasn’t listening. I did catch myself, but it’s an indication that my subconscious tendencies are still very much looking for the easy answers. But the easy answers are almost always loaded with my unconscious biases. Listening therefore is being more aware. Give people a chance to be heard, and you just might like what they have to say!!
I'm loving this series! It's a compilation of short articles written by different authors. This way we get to learn from different perspectives. In the case of mindful listening, you'll find information on different listening styles, being overly empathic, distractions, open-ended questions...
The reason for the 4 stars, is because not every author convinced me. Calling someone "toxic" for being a strong empath is not something as a therapist that I would recommend. A section on non-verbal was missing in my opinion, and an introduction stating that we need to stop repeating that embracing silence isn't a key aspect of proper listening then adding texts contradicted that was confusing. Better leave the intros to ChatGPT.
Il libro è una raccolta di articoli della Harvard Business Review focalizzati sul miglioramento delle proprie capacità di ascolto, che, come per una maratona richiedono tecnica ed allenamento.
Il formato, conciso e con esempi, lo rende una lettura scorrevole e di facile utilità.
É fondamentale, mentre si legge il libro, riflettere sul proprio operato di manager, genitore, amico o qualsiasi ruolo in cui saper ascoltare é un'attività critica per il corretto sviluppo di un legame, un progetto o semplicemente la risoluzione di un problema.
Come per un chirurgo, non basta un libro per diventare esperti, ma c'è bisogno di pratica, pratica ed ancora pratica.
Mindful Listening is an excellent primer for anyone looking to improve their communication skills and build stronger relationships. This book highlights the importance of listening as a critical skill for leaders and managers. By learning to listen mindfully, one can keep your employees more engaged, foster the discovery of new ideas, and hear what one needs to hear rather than what you expect to hear. It offers insights on how to stay fully present in challenging conversations and how to be empathic while listening.
The book is set up more in the corporate context, however the principles of communication can be applied in the personal setup as well.
Este libro reune los puntos de vistas de diferentes expertos y consultores de liderazgo sobre los beneficios de realizar una meditación conciente, considerando los aspectos de una atención plena, incluyendo técnicas, mencionando algunos riesgos y dificultades, pero ante todo como el "Ser Conciente" puede llevarte a enriquecer la vida de cada individuo.
Resumo algunos de los temas que se presentan: -La Atencion plena en la Era de la Complejidad, -Como practicar la atención plena a lo largo de tu dia de trabajo, -Resiliencia, -Agilidad Emocional.
Little nuggets of articles collected over time. These short and sweet reads are not deep and that is the joy in them. If you take the few minutes required to read one and the same amount of time to reflect that the purpose of the book is fulfilled. Many will say the topics are basic or that they do not contain the details to further the topic, I disagree. Mindful Listening is something we can only develop through practice, these articles provide enough tinder for the fire of your own personal development.
-both give feedback without being defensive -empathize and validate feelings in a nonjudgmental way -have people share their perspective without trying to convince them of yours -if you're a toxic handler, remember that saying yes to someone means you're saying no to others
"The person in front of you does not know what you were dealing with a moment ago, nor should they. It's your responsibility to show up and be fully present to effectively use the limited time you have with each person you meet."
I really enjoy this series from the Harvard business school. This book was a great compilation of studies about the psychology of mindful listening and how it improves relationships both personally and professionally. A lot of really good notes and fascinating points. Real life applications I’ve already begun using multiple times a day.
I enjoyed how quick it was. Easy to digest and apply in day to day life. Super helpful for me being in sales.
Giving it 3 stars because although it’s great, it’s more of a study/compilation than a real book someone wrote.
Mindful Listening khá sát với thực tế Tech Industry, nơi giao tiếp thường bị xem nhẹ so với coding
Kỹ năng lắng nghe đôi khi còn quan trọng hơn kỹ năng nói. Hãy lắng nghe với sự đồng cảm. Muốn thay đổi suy nghĩ người khác, hãy nghe nhiều hơn nói Ở chương cuối: thay vì cố gắng tắt giọng nói chỉ trích trong đầu, hãy học cách phân biệt khi nào nó hữu ích (có lúc cần lắng nghe để tự điều chỉnh, nhưng cũng có lúc phải gạt qua để giữ sự tự tin)
Điểm trừ chung của HBR Series: các chương là những bài học riêng lẻ, không liền mạch với nhau
“For most of my twenties I assumed that the world was more interested in my than I in it, so I spent most of my time talking, usually in a quite uninformed way, about whatever I thought, rushing to be clever, thinking about what I was going to say to someone rather than listening to what they were saying to me.” ~ Paul Bennett, CCO of IDEO quoted in “Three Ways Leaders Can Listen with More Empathy” by Christiana M. Riordan
This book was Stevo's Business Book of the Week for the week of 3/31, as selected by Stevo's Book Reviews on the Internet. You can find me at http://forums.delphiforums.com/stevo1 or search for me on Google for many more reviews and recommendations.
This book was a Best of the Best for the month of April, 2019, as selected by Stevo's Book Reviews on the Internet. http://forums.delphiforums.com/stevo1.... Search for me on Google for many more reviews and recommendations
Very disappointed. I was really looking forward to reading this book, but the style of it was very disjointed. I was looking for a cohesive work that would help me improve my listening skills by giving me tips and examples of how to utilize mindful listening. This book was just a lot of short stories with little actionable content. I will have to try a different book to find what I'm looking for.
Todos creemos que sabemos escuchar y la verdad es que en muchas ocasiones confundimos una escucha atenta y empática con repetir como loro lo que nos dice nuestro interlocutor. Herramientas prácticas que nos ayudarán a mejorar nuestra escucha activa. ¡Recomendado!
Another great compilation of insightful articles from HBR. Still in admiration of how concise it is and of the choice of format. Great tips on how to genuinely listen to others and live a better life.
A great collection of articles and various research pieces on how to listen to people better. It also discusses on how to ask better questions to engage and understand more. I think it is one of those books that you need to reread a couple times. Need to reread soon myself :-)
The first half of the chapters have vital advice, but are pretty vague. Starting at part 6 onward, anecdotes and specific examples of how to implement behavior appeared and were extremely useful for demonstrating points. Definitely something I'll keep near my desk to refer to now and again.
Clear short discussion points - pointing to value of mindfulness, meditation, pausing to take small breaths. Categorizing thoughts as thoughts by adding “I’m having a thought that” etc instead of absorbing it all as facts.
I found the book theoretical, more focussed on why mindful listening is important and what needs to be done for mindful listening. Whereas I wanted to understand the 'how' part... How to do mindful listening?... Mental adjustment, motivation, etc. I didn't get what I was looking for. 3 stars.