The Zen of Listening: Mindful Communications in the Age of Distractions

I agree completely with the review from C. Kerby. There are some helpful insights, but for the most part, I feel as though I am being preached to by a hippified zen transindentalist. I also must read this book for a class, and I don't like the way the book takes the long road to get to the points.

I also think her examples of Larry King and Barbara Walters being examples of good listeners are weak. They get paid big bucks to listen, yet they still ask poor and unrelated follow-up questions because they are thinking ahead of their interview, and about ratings over listening.

I think the author should work in construction for awhile and see if she can have any success changing hearts and getting people to listen in that sea of dysfunction. Good luck.

I don't mean to be unkind, but I think the book neglects using boundaries with dark minded control freaks, and is a bit naive. "What we have here is a failure to communicate. Some men, you just can't reach." (Cool Hand Luke)

Like most self-help products, this one is an example of the author's biases and meaningless anecdotes that do not illustrate a point or theme. While this book holds valuable advice on communication, ie listen and be open while listening, it is filled with empty talk on how to be a better listener. I had to get this book for a communications class and learned far more from the instructor and his created handbook than this published book. As far as self help goes, my unpublished prof had more to offer than this lady! Okay if you can get it for less than 5 bucks

I am a senior at Loyola Marymount University and read The Zen of Listening for a paper in my Interpersonal Communication class. I spent most of my high school years volunteering for Teenline and the National Suicide Hotline, so I consider myself well educated in the realm of listening. The work I did with Teenline motivated me to read this book - I was interested in what the author had to say that could boost my listening skills or provide insight into why my listening may not be as good as it should be. (And I indeed found "answers" to both of these in The Zen of Listening).

I was also drawn to this book because the title implied the relationship between listening and Eastern philosophical thought instead of Christian-based theological listening, which most other books on the topic of listening seem to relate to.

The test in Chapter Two, designed to determine your strengths and weaknesses in listening, is extremely helpful and ensures that you pay closer attention to any chapters that elaborate on your listening problems.
The technical bits in the book explain the science of the ears and the mathematical equations of retention rates, but I did not find them useful or interesting. The rest of the book, however, was riveting.

It's a rather simple read and I found that I was immediately applying many of her simple tips for listening to my everyday habits--including how to better read and remember her book. This book is perfect for anyone who wants to know more about listening and communication; or who may be having work or relationship problems - many times it seems that listening is the issue at hand.

This book sheds light on the skill of listening, which we often take for granted. It challenges you to consider whether you are a good listener and how that affects your everyday interactions with customers, co-workers, and friends. It's definitely a book worth reading and passing on to your friends as a gentle hint. At times the book can seem repetitive.

Intriguing concept: tying effective listening to meditation. The two are closely related. Each topic complements the other nicely. As a reader and practitioner, I just wanted more of each.