logo
episode-header-image
Jan 2024
10m 13s

Practice Your Active Listening Skills

Harvard Business Review
About this episode

When was the last time you practiced your active listening skills?


HBR contributing editor Amy Gallo says it is a skill you need to practice. In this episode, you’ll learn how you can use listening skills to make other people feel heard and understood. Specifically, you’ll learn different styles of listening and how to use each one to fit your goals.

You’ll also learn how to use thoughtful questions to deepen your conversation and make sure you’re getting the information you need.

Gallo is an expert in workplace conflict and communication. She also cohosts HBR’s Women at Work podcast, and her most recent book is Getting Along: How to Work with Anyone (Even Difficult People).

Key episode topics include: leadership, interpersonal communication, listening skills, active listening, conversations.

HBR On Leadership curates the best case studies and conversations with the world’s top business and management experts, to help you unlock the best in those around you. New episodes every week.

· Watch the original HBR Guide episode: The Art of Active Listening (2022)

· Find more episodes of the HBR Guide series on YouTube.

· Discover 100 years of Harvard Business Review articles, case studies, podcasts, and more at HBR.org.

Up next
Aug 20
Make a Mid-Career Industry Change with Confidence
When you realize the line of work you’ve been in for years doesn’t interest you anymore or is in decline or won’t ever pay well enough, what’s your next move? Amy Bernstein speaks with executive coach Nina Bowman about the process of making a bold mid-career leap: how to identify ... Show More
55m 8s
Aug 13
How to Make Fractional Leadership Work
If you need senior talent but can’t afford full-time hires, consider fractional leadership, where part-time executives work with multiple organizations. Common in startups, the practice is spreading to other sectors, yet many leaders don’t know how to make it work. Researcher Tom ... Show More
30m 25s
Aug 6
Step Up from Middle Management to Senior Leadership
Is mid-level management a stone you’re ready to step off of? Making that move is difficult but doable, and Amy B and her three guests will direct, inspire, and reassure you. An executive coach validates the challenges of scoring a position that’s scarce. Then, two COOs whose care ... Show More
52m 5s
Recommended Episodes
Nov 2023
656: How to Understand People Better, with Heather Younger
Heather Younger: The Art of Active Listening Heather Younger is an experienced international keynote speaker, best-selling author, CEO, and Founder of Employee Fanatix. Known as The Employee Whisperer, Heather harnesses humor, warmth, and an instant relatability to engage and upl ... Show More
37m 53s
May 2023
Communicate Effectively With Executives - 6 Tips! [087]
Communicating with executives is different to communicating with your coworkers. Executives think on a deeper level. Their conversations are more focused. Their reactions are direct. There’s basically no time to waste when communicating with executives. This means that in order t ... Show More
14m 14s
Feb 2023
6 Crucial Leadership Skills You Need to Succeed This Year! [084]
In leadership, there are a multitude of skills that you need to succeed. But with changes in business or economic environments, there are usually a specific set of skills that break apart from the rest. A set of skills that you need to cultivate if you want to succeed. And in thi ... Show More
22m 31s
Aug 2022
The Diamond Dozen for Developing Your Speaking Skills - 234
To be a great public speaker you need substance and style. I’ve seen many speakers who are very showy, but their content completely misses the mark, and I’ve seen speakers with a great message to share, but who fail to communicate it in a way that engages their audience. I want a ... Show More
26m 15s
Jan 2015
177: How to Start a Conversation With Anyone, with Mark Sieverkropp
Mark Sieverkropp: How to Start a Conversation With Anyone Mark and I were both featured by Forbes as 25 Professional Networking Experts to Watch in 2015 1. First Impressions last the longest John Corcoran spoke in episode 169 on what we can do to recover from a bad first impressi ... Show More
45m 18s
Jul 2023
99. Rethinks: How to Handle Challenging Conversations
Being a better listener has a lot to do with silence, says Collins Dobbs, a lecturer in management at Stanford Graduate School of Business. “A lot of people are uncomfortable with the smallest modicum of silence, but learning often happens when we create distance for useful refle ... Show More
24m 11s
Mar 2023
3 Phrases to Communicate More Effectively as a Leader [085]
Leaders who are good communicators often have a number of go-to phrases that they use throughout their communication. They have phrases that help them jump into conversations during meetings, disagree with people or share a different perspective, and encourage others to elaborate ... Show More
15m 21s
Nov 2017
Technically Speaking! - 011
Over my career, I’ve worked with lots of scientists, IT specialists and engineers, and I know that sometimes it’s can be challenging to communicate complicated concepts and ideas in a way that’s simple enough for your audience to understand. This week’s episode gives you tools an ... Show More
24m 6s
Dec 2023
#184 Best of 2023: Conversations of the Year
The Knowledge Project closes 2023 with a look back at some of the best conversations of the year. Featuring interviews from nine of the most downloaded and acclaimed episodes of 2023, this collection of conversations offers a variety of insights into the power of intention, how t ... Show More
1h 36m