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Deep Listening: Impact Beyond Words
Over 55% of your day is spent listening; yet only 2% of us have been trained in how to listen. What is poor listening costing you?
Do you rush from meeting to meeting, your head buried in the last conversation you had, without time to think of the next? Or feel frustrated with unproductive discussions where the loudest in the room adds limited insight and drowns out everyone else?
We usually think of these situations as communication problems; that we have not spoken our needs correctly or clearly. Yet, conflict, chaos and confusion are the costs of not listening.
Many communication and listening books say the most important person in a conversation is the speaker - not true!
This pocket-sized guide will help you to reconnect with your innate gift of deep listening, to create the right space to listen to yourself before you listen to others.
You'll learn to listen beyond the words that are spoken, to add context and meaning and listen in to what's not being said.
Deep Listening will help you move from confusion and conflict to thoughtful, insightful and powerful discussions that will transform not just your work, but your whole life.
Do you rush from meeting to meeting, your head buried in the last conversation you had, without time to think of the next? Or feel frustrated with unproductive discussions where the loudest in the room adds limited insight and drowns out everyone else?
We usually think of these situations as communication problems; that we have not spoken our needs correctly or clearly. Yet, conflict, chaos and confusion are the costs of not listening.
Many communication and listening books say the most important person in a conversation is the speaker - not true!
This pocket-sized guide will help you to reconnect with your innate gift of deep listening, to create the right space to listen to yourself before you listen to others.
You'll learn to listen beyond the words that are spoken, to add context and meaning and listen in to what's not being said.
Deep Listening will help you move from confusion and conflict to thoughtful, insightful and powerful discussions that will transform not just your work, but your whole life.
156 pages, Paperback
Published July 1, 2019
About the author
Oscar Trimboli
3 books12 followersOscar Trimboli is an author, host of the Apple award-winning podcast Deep Listening and a sought-after keynote speaker.
Along with the Deep Listening Ambassador Community, he is on a quest to create 100 million deep listeners in the workplace.
Through his work with chairs, boards of directors, and executive teams, Oscar has experienced first-hand the transformational impact leaders can have when they listen beyond words.
He believes that when leadership teams focus their attention and listening, they will build organizations that create powerful legacies for the people they serve – today and more importantly, for future generations.
Oscar is a marketing and technology industry veteran working for Microsoft, PeopleSoft, Polycom, and Vodafone. He consults with organizations including American Express, AstraZeneca, Cisco, Google, HSBC, IAG, Montblanc, PwC, Salesforce, Sanofi, SAP, and Siemens.
He is the author of how to listen - discover the hidden key to better communication - the most comprehensive book about listening in the workplace, Deep Listening - Impact beyond words and Breakthroughs: How to Confront Assumptions
Oscar loves his afternoon walks with his wife, Jennie, and their dog Kilimanjaro. On the weekends, you will find him playing Lego with one or all his four grandchildren.
Along with the Deep Listening Ambassador Community, he is on a quest to create 100 million deep listeners in the workplace.
Through his work with chairs, boards of directors, and executive teams, Oscar has experienced first-hand the transformational impact leaders can have when they listen beyond words.
He believes that when leadership teams focus their attention and listening, they will build organizations that create powerful legacies for the people they serve – today and more importantly, for future generations.
Oscar is a marketing and technology industry veteran working for Microsoft, PeopleSoft, Polycom, and Vodafone. He consults with organizations including American Express, AstraZeneca, Cisco, Google, HSBC, IAG, Montblanc, PwC, Salesforce, Sanofi, SAP, and Siemens.
He is the author of how to listen - discover the hidden key to better communication - the most comprehensive book about listening in the workplace, Deep Listening - Impact beyond words and Breakthroughs: How to Confront Assumptions
Oscar loves his afternoon walks with his wife, Jennie, and their dog Kilimanjaro. On the weekends, you will find him playing Lego with one or all his four grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
April 9, 2022
Did you know that you can only speak ~125 words per minute, but you process 400 words per minute? If not, this book will remind you of that fact about a dozen times.
The book is slim even before you consider the wide spacing, images, and pull quotes. I was able to read the whole thing in less than an hour. I am not a particularly fast reader. What little content is there is repetitive, and worse often thoughtless.
Trimboli says things like, "Deep listeners... are searching for meaning rather than understanding." What exactly does that mean? He does not really elaborate. Doesn't understanding require a sense of someone's meaning? Are deep listeners searching for their own meaning beyond the speaker's meaning? I'd be happy to ponder these questions on my own if this were a book of mystic philosophy, but it is not.
At another point, Trimboli says, "...your intention is the only thing you can control in the dialogue." Really? What about your response? What about your questions? I know what he's trying to say, but for such a short book I'd expect pithy precision.
The listicles that punctuate every chapter are repetitive (sometimes literally repeating sentences word for word), and lacking parallelism. Yes, requiring parallelism in list format is pedantic, but come on. This book is the length of an article. It would take 15 minutes to revise the listicles to be grammatically parallel. The whole thing just feels like a thoughtless cash grab.
Save your money and skip this one.
The book is slim even before you consider the wide spacing, images, and pull quotes. I was able to read the whole thing in less than an hour. I am not a particularly fast reader. What little content is there is repetitive, and worse often thoughtless.
Trimboli says things like, "Deep listeners... are searching for meaning rather than understanding." What exactly does that mean? He does not really elaborate. Doesn't understanding require a sense of someone's meaning? Are deep listeners searching for their own meaning beyond the speaker's meaning? I'd be happy to ponder these questions on my own if this were a book of mystic philosophy, but it is not.
At another point, Trimboli says, "...your intention is the only thing you can control in the dialogue." Really? What about your response? What about your questions? I know what he's trying to say, but for such a short book I'd expect pithy precision.
The listicles that punctuate every chapter are repetitive (sometimes literally repeating sentences word for word), and lacking parallelism. Yes, requiring parallelism in list format is pedantic, but come on. This book is the length of an article. It would take 15 minutes to revise the listicles to be grammatically parallel. The whole thing just feels like a thoughtless cash grab.
Save your money and skip this one.
January 26, 2023
Fantastic book on a skill many need! To listen!
I loved the four types of listeners and how to be a better listener.
I loved the four types of listeners and how to be a better listener.
February 16, 2019
Insightful but too broad
There are some good insights here, but there is a lot of missed potential. Many of the chapters could be improved with simple drills or things to hear in mind in order to practice the thoughts of the chapter.
There are some good insights here, but there is a lot of missed potential. Many of the chapters could be improved with simple drills or things to hear in mind in order to practice the thoughts of the chapter.
May 3, 2019
This is a very short and picture laden book that initially I didn't feel added much value..
Starts off slow with a basic introduction but as the book progresses starts to add practical tips and tidbits on how to deeply listen..
I found it deeply profound and is one that should be read several times to apply to lessons in play.
Starts off slow with a basic introduction but as the book progresses starts to add practical tips and tidbits on how to deeply listen..
I found it deeply profound and is one that should be read several times to apply to lessons in play.
August 28, 2019
Nice quick read and a great reminder of what not to do in meetings! In the beginning, I could have about replaced “she” with “he” and it would have been a recap of my day!
August 9, 2020
Cute little book, loved the format
January 25, 2020
Some good points
But in the end he didn’t get really through what he promised. Would have been enough just listen the podcast where he has been.
But in the end he didn’t get really through what he promised. Would have been enough just listen the podcast where he has been.
June 21, 2022
“Dialogue is a simultaneous and fluid equation,” Oscar Trimboli says in his book Deep Listening. “We speak at 125 words per minute, but listen at 400 words per minute.” This means we can process what we hear faster than what we say.
As a professional speaker who is really comfortable with speaking AT people, it’s even more important for me to listen TO people, because it’s not my tendency. ‘Deep Listening’ provides a variety of practical tools to become a better listener. Reading this book has me observing my role in conversation in a different way.
As a professional speaker who is really comfortable with speaking AT people, it’s even more important for me to listen TO people, because it’s not my tendency. ‘Deep Listening’ provides a variety of practical tools to become a better listener. Reading this book has me observing my role in conversation in a different way.
October 18, 2025
I would rate the book itelf a 1. It has some good ideas but they are not well developed and do not provoke action. It is “thin” at best and very repetitive. The lists that are included, feel like participant call out responses given to facilitator questions in a workshop. The author (and his editors or advisors) should have tried harder as the book(let) really lets down the rest of the work.
The card set that came with the book is much better developed, edited and is substantive in thinking and value. This part I would give 4 or 5 and would recommend it to people I work with, coach or who facilitate others to learn about good human interactions.
The card set that came with the book is much better developed, edited and is substantive in thinking and value. This part I would give 4 or 5 and would recommend it to people I work with, coach or who facilitate others to learn about good human interactions.
January 26, 2018
A surprisingly quick read, I got the box set, a book and some cards that can be used for facilitation. I loved the simplicity of the book, the look and feel of it and the common sense nature of it all, things we know but need constant reminder of! I thoroughly recommend it to anyone wanting to improve their listening skills!
May 29, 2021
If only everyone knew...
Have you ever wished that someone would just listen to you? Does it matter at all to you that you are heard?
So does everybody else on this planet.
The only thing we can do is model what we want to see and this is it. Read, digest, reread, practice,
Thank you, Oscar. This book can make your life better.
Have you ever wished that someone would just listen to you? Does it matter at all to you that you are heard?
So does everybody else on this planet.
The only thing we can do is model what we want to see and this is it. Read, digest, reread, practice,
Thank you, Oscar. This book can make your life better.
March 6, 2021
Though this books is an important reminder to listen deeply, there is little to learn here. Of course, maybe using that little and practicing it could improve us as listeners and enable one to have better conversations.
November 11, 2021
An easy read with some bite-sized nuggets that will make you reflect on how you approach conversations.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews