Listen Up: How to Improve Relationships, Reduce Stress, and Be More Productive by Using the Power of Listening

Rating:
Summary: Good listening equals more money, more fun.
Review: As an executive coach, I get paid to listen. If I don't listen well, payment doesn't continue. That's why I was surprised to discover that I had (and still have) more to learn about listening well. Listen Up showed me that I'm predominantly a "people-oriented" listener when I coach and a "content-oriented" listener when I'm seeking to learn. It turns out that both styles have strengths AND weaknesses. Because my clients are so diverse, following the advice of Barker and Watson to increase the awareness and range of my listen styles has paid off. Not only are my clients more appreciative of how much more deeply I listen to them, it's also spilled over to create deeper connections with family and friends. If you care at all about building stronger relationships at work or at home, reading this book is a great step to take.

Rating:
Summary: Good listening equals more money, more fun.
Review: As an executive coach, I get paid to listen. If I don't listen well, payment doesn't continue. That's why I was surprised to discover that I had (and still have) more to learn about listening well. Listen Up showed me that I'm predominantly a "people-oriented" listener when I coach and a "content-oriented" listener when I'm seeking to learn. It turns out that both styles have strengths AND weaknesses. Because my clients are so diverse, following the advice of Barker and Watson to increase the awareness and range of my listen styles has paid off. Not only are my clients more appreciative of how much more deeply I listen to them, it's also spilled over to create deeper connections with family and friends. If you care at all about building stronger relationships at work or at home, reading this book is a great step to take.

Rating:
Summary: People, Action, Content or Time? Which one are you?
Review: Listen Up does a wonderful job in helping us to determine what our own listener preferences -- people, action, content or time -- are. . . and more importantly, it helps us to determine the preferences of others. If I can speak to you in the way in which you want to listen, it's much more likely that our communication will be mutually satisfying. I've improved one business relationship 100% by realizing that my colleague is time-oriented (and I used to speak with her in a very people-oriented way . . . this was completely ineffective and made both of us frustrated beyond belief). Effective listening can change your life.

Rating:
Summary: Some good nuggets
Review: This book, overall, is an easy to read guide on listening. Its primary focus seems to be on convincing the reader why they need to listen better (and they succeed). However, when it comes to strategies on how to improve listening skills, they do not always come through. There are definitely useful nuggets of wisdom in this book, but not as many as would seem appropriate. A good complementary book is "Listening, the forgotten skill" by Burley-Allen.