Data and Research
96% called themselves good listeners.
In the same survey, 80% said they multitask on conference calls.
Both numbers come from one survey of 3,600 professionals in 30 countries (Accenture, 2015).
Every number on this page comes from published studies by other researchers, and each one links to its source. The studies span work, health care, sales and the lab. Under each finding: the move to make, and how Heard measures it on your calls.
Jump to: The gap, Before the yes, Room to talk, Saying it back, Keeping the focus, Training it.
The gap
Where these studies asked people to rate themselves, their ratings didn't match how others scored them.
- 94%of 144 hospitality managers
rated themselves good or very good listeners. So did 94% of the managers their own employees ranked in the bottom quarter.
- 5 of 32family doctors
met the beginner level for empathy and partnership. Coders scored 60 of their routine visits. The standard comes from motivational interviewing, a counseling style that relies on listening.
- 0 of 12nurses trained in the method
met the beginner level on every measure in any of their 32 recorded sessions. Yet they rated themselves highly.
- 140licensed addiction professionals
How skilled they said they were was unrelated, the authors' word, to the skill coders heard on their tapes.
The move
Don't grade your listening by how the call felt. Check what you actually said.
How Heard measures it
Heard scores your listening from what was actually said on the call.
Before the yes
Feeling heard isn't the yes, but research ties it to what comes before one: trust, openness and willingness to keep talking.
- Trustin a survey of new-car buyers
Buyers who felt their salesperson listened trusted that salesperson more.
- 4experiments
Three were live conversations. People who got high-quality listening felt closer to the listener. In the two that measured it, their views became less extreme. In the one that asked, they were much more willing to talk with that listener again. They did not switch sides.
- 664findings from workplaces
Across these findings, better listening was tied most strongly to better relationships. Most often, the people being listened to rated the listening. Three quarters of the findings relied on self-reports.
The move
Before you make your case, show you understood theirs. Say back what they told you, and ask if you got it right.
How Heard measures it
Heard rates the understanding and collaboration you showed in what you said.
See your own numbers on your next two-person call. Heard for Meetings joins your Zoom, Teams or Google Meet call and scores how you listened.
Room to talk
In these studies, people started on their reply before the other person was done.
- 11 secondsmedian
In visits where clinicians asked what the patient wanted to discuss, they cut in two times in three, after a median of 11 seconds.
- Half a second
In a quiz experiment, listeners started planning their answer within half a second of hearing enough to give it. When that came early in the question, they started about 2.4 seconds before the question ended.
The move
Let them finish. When they stop, wait a beat before you answer.
How Heard measures it
Heard measures your share of the talking: how much of the conversation you left to the other person.
Saying it back
Even after a short lesson on listening, people in one study rarely said back what they heard.
- Under 9%of their messages
Adults with no counseling training typed to a simulated client after a short lesson on listening skills. Under 9% of their messages reflected back what the client said. About a quarter were open questions.
The move
Before your next question, say back what you heard, in your own words. Listening researchers name paraphrasing, reflecting feelings and open questions as signs of good listening (Kluger and Itzchakov, 2022).
How Heard measures it
Heard counts your open questions and how many reflections you make for every question you ask.
Keeping the focus
In lab studies, people gave up money to talk about themselves.
- 30 to 40%of what we say, by one estimate
Tamir and Mitchell, who ran those studies, open their paper with this estimate: people spend 30 to 40% of what they say telling others about their own experiences.
The move
When they share something, stay with it. Hold your own story, and hold advice until they ask. Listening researchers list changing the topic and unsolicited advice among the signs that can mark poor listening (Kluger and Itzchakov, 2022).
How Heard measures it
Heard counts when you keep the focus on them, when you shift it to yourself, and when you give advice nobody asked for.
Training it
Listening can be trained. Feedback and coaching after training help the skill hold.
- 91%more reflections
In a randomized study, adults practiced by text with a simulated client, using a feedback tool the researchers built. With its automatic feedback, they made 91% more reflections than adults practicing without it. In a test right after the feedback stopped, they made 76% more.
- Coachingand feedback after a workshop
Some clinicians got feedback on their practice, one-on-one coaching sessions, or both after a workshop. They gained more skill than those who had the workshop alone.
- 6 months
Across training studies, skills eroded over the six months after a workshop when no feedback or coaching followed. With feedback or coaching, they held.
The move
Treat listening like any skill. Practice it, get feedback, and keep going after the workshop ends.
How Heard measures it
Heard scores the calls you choose, on the same measures every time, so you can see how your numbers move from call to call.
See how your team listens on the calls that decide your yes.
Heard for Meetings scores listening on real two-person Zoom, Teams and Google Meet calls. The Communication Dynamics Lab trains listening.