“To listen well is to figure out what’s on someone’s mind and demonstrate that you care enough to want to know.” Kate Murphy, You’re Not Listening: What You’re Missing and Why It Matters

Why I picked it up in the first place

I picked this book up because I want to be as valuable as possible to our clients. This means I need to be the best listener I can be–to get to the heart of what they are trying to tell me. But I also need to help them be the best listeners they can be–to get to the heart of what their customers or patrons are trying to say.

How listening relates to messaging

Messaging is all about taking your own goals as a business and organization, and figuring out how they can synergistically exist with your customers wants and needs. There is a person for nearly every product or service–but not every person is for every product or service. You find the people you can help the best who will also help you by listening to them, not by assuming you already know everything about them.

What I thought

This book was informative, funny, and heartfelt. The science felt accessible and she thoroughly proved her point that “everyone is interesting if you ask the right questions.” Most of my life I’ve been told that I’m a “good listener” but even I found many excellent takeaways from this book. I highly recommend it to anyone in any kind of business, but its value is even greater than that. This book is for anyone who wants to improve their relationships with the people around them and engage more deeply with their friends, loved ones, and communities.

Publisher Blurb

Despite living in a world where technology allows constant digital communication and opportunities to connect, it seems no one is really listening or even knows how. And it’s making us lonelier, more isolated, and less tolerant than ever before. A listener by trade, New York Times contributor Kate Murphy wanted to know how we got here.

In this illuminating and often humorous deep dive, Murphy explains why we’re not listening, what it’s doing to us, and how we can reverse the trend. She makes accessible the psychology, neuroscience, and sociology of listening while also introducing us to some of the best listeners out there (including a CIA agent, focus group moderator, bartender, radio producer, and top furniture salesman). Equal parts cultural observation, scientific exploration, and rousing call to action that’s full of practical advice, You’re Not Listening shows us how to reclaim the lost art of listening.

Need help crafting a concise, compelling message from people who strive to be better listeners every day? Give us a shout. Or you know...an email. 🙂