How to Become a Better Listener

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The way we listen influences how others listen to us. To become better listeners, we should focus on truly seeing and hearing others, creating an extraordinary experience for them. Deep listening, where we feel fully seen, is a condition for learning to listen. Additionally, understanding adult development theory, such as the subject object theory, can help us listen better. This theory teaches us to listen for what is subject (what we're fused with) and what is object (what can be examined and talked about). We should listen below the surface of the story, wondering what people mean by the words and phrases they use. Curiosity is key to understanding others.

Acclaimed executive coach and leadership development specialist Carolyn Coughlin calls on more than a decade of experience to help you become a better listener. She goes in-depth on why the language we use with each other and with ourselves is so important, the three different types of listening, the most common skill she teaches that makes an immediate impact, and how to help your kids become better listeners. Coughlin is a co-founder at Cultivating Leadership, a leadership development consultancy firm that helps leaders and organizations grow and lead in the face of complexity, ambiguity, and change. She also spent nine years with leadership consulting firm Kenning Associates and more than five years with McKinsey & Company.

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