WHAT THIS IS

This short guide offers a set of simple yet powerful exercises to help you improve your listening muscle, drawn from Be More Strategic, Chapter 4: Listen Deeply.

Listening isn’t passive. It’s a skill that requires awareness, presence, and practice; just like a physical muscle, it strengthens with deliberate use.

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WHY IT MATTERS

Strategic thinkers listen to understand, not to respond.  

They know that real listening:

• Slows reactive thinking and emotional bias

• Builds trust and connection

• Surfaces hidden insights and assumptions

• Creates better-quality conversations and decisions

Improving your listening muscle gives you access to more information, more empathy, and ultimately, more strategic clarity.

“The quality of your listening determines the quality of your thinking, and the quality of your relationships.”

HOW TO USE THIS TOOL

Practise one or two of the following exercises each week, either on your own (i.e. using a podcast, audiobook or similar), in work-related meetings and conversations, or with family and friends.

Start small. Pick one conversation a day where you’ll intentionally practise deeper listening.