I was so excited to learn that I had won an ARC copy of this book. The first impression I got was great and the entire read did not disappoint.
Firstly, I thought the book cover was engaging and would definitely catch my eye in a bookstore among other titles!
Second and more important is how timely I thought the book seemed. In our world today of social media, instant gratification with news and information readily available at our fingertips, it really does beg the question "have we lost the art of listening?" I thought the book was well thought-out, thoroughly researched and offered a lot of interesting perspectives.
It seems we have all become more self absorbed as a society - we all want to 'be heard' especially in recent times with such political, social and personal issues in the world and our lives but we don't stop to realize that to be truly heard, we also need to listen critically. I particularly liked the quote from the author "The most valuable lesson I've learned as a journalist is that everybody is interesting if you ask the right questions. If someone is dull or uninteresting, it's on you." I had NEVER thought of conversations that way, but it makes perfect sense!
As someone who had therapy in my 20's, has typically felt unheard and unseen and laments the use of dating apps/making adult friendships as a 30 something women, this book particularly resonated with me, especially the dedication! Who hasn't felt that way at some point in their lives? I thought that introducing many viewpoints on listeners and offering practical advice, was incredibly interesting.It would be a perfect book for book clubs and think tanks!
I get nervous and can ramble on, so the last chapter on when to STOP listening and how to converse/keep a balance was great as well.
It was a great balance of scientific, research, humor and practical advice, much of which I will aim to put in practice in my own life and conversations moving forward!
Firstly, I thought the book cover was engaging and would definitely catch my eye in a bookstore among other titles!
Second and more important is how timely I thought the book seemed. In our world today of social media, instant gratification with news and information readily available at our fingertips, it really does beg the question "have we lost the art of listening?" I thought the book was well thought-out, thoroughly researched and offered a lot of interesting perspectives.
It seems we have all become more self absorbed as a society - we all want to 'be heard' especially in recent times with such political, social and personal issues in the world and our lives but we don't stop to realize that to be truly heard, we also need to listen critically. I particularly liked the quote from the author "The most valuable lesson I've learned as a journalist is that everybody is interesting if you ask the right questions. If someone is dull or uninteresting, it's on you." I had NEVER thought of conversations that way, but it makes perfect sense!
As someone who had therapy in my 20's, has typically felt unheard and unseen and laments the use of dating apps/making adult friendships as a 30 something women, this book particularly resonated with me, especially the dedication! Who hasn't felt that way at some point in their lives? I thought that introducing many viewpoints on listeners and offering practical advice, was incredibly interesting.It would be a perfect book for book clubs and think tanks!
I get nervous and can ramble on, so the last chapter on when to STOP listening and how to converse/keep a balance was great as well.
It was a great balance of scientific, research, humor and practical advice, much of which I will aim to put in practice in my own life and conversations moving forward!