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.