Watch the TED Talk: How to Be a Great Listener
Maegan Stephens

Adaptive Listening

How to Cultivate Trust and Traction at Work

Adaptive Listening: How to Cultivate Trust and Traction at Work

With a foreword by Nancy Duarte

A research-backed guide to the four listening styles and the SAID framework. Learn to intentionally adapt how you listen to cultivate trust and drive results in workplace conversations.

Published by Yellow Pear Press (2024). Also available in Traditional Chinese (Yuan-Liou Publishing, 2025).

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Adaptive Listening: How to Cultivate Trust and Traction at Work — book cover

Inside the Book

The Four Listening Styles

Support, Advance, Immerse, and Discern. Each style serves a different purpose in workplace conversations. Learn to identify your default and flex into others.

The SAID Framework

A practical system for diagnosing what the speaker needs and adapting your approach in real time. Backed by research from UT Austin.

Workplace Application

From one-on-ones to boardrooms: strategies for building trust, resolving conflict, and driving outcomes through intentional listening.

Self-Assessment Tools

Includes the SAID Assessment and practical exercises to help you and your team develop adaptive listening as a daily skill.