Radical Listening

Most books on listening teach you to nod and repeat back what you heard. Radical Listening teaches you something more foundational: how to set a clear intention before the conversation begins, and how to use that intention to build real connection, not just comprehension.

Written by Christian van Nieuwerburgh and Robert Biswas-Diener, two leading positive psychology researchers and coaches, this practical framework organizes six core competencies into two skill sets that work together:

Internal listening skills — the mental habits that shape how you receive:

• Noticing — tuning into what's said, unsaid, and felt
• Quieting — managing inner noise so you can truly be present
• Accepting — suspending judgment to make space for others

External listening skills — the behaviors that signal deep attention:

• Acknowledging — validating the speaker's experience
• Questioning — asking in ways that open thinking, not close it
• Interjecting — knowing when and how to respond without redirecting

A dedicated chapter on listening across cultures makes this especially valuable for managers of diverse teams, and the research grounding throughout—including data on loneliness and its measurable health consequences—gives the framework real weight.

Ideal for coaches, leaders, therapists, and anyone whose work depends on human connection.