Adaptive Listening®
Why meetings stall,deals drag, and feedback backfires(even when everyone is listening)
#1 New Release in Business Communication on Amazon
Improving relationships
(and the bottom line).
Available in all formats at:
Of course you should pay attention. That’s what adults do at work.
This book is for professionals who already communicate well and want to get better at the part no one trains for.
Who the book is for
Leaders
Who need faster alignment and clearer decisions
Managers
Who want more productive 1:1s and better performance management
Sales professionals
In high-stakes conversations where trust, timing, and alignment determine whether deals move forward
Teams
Who are smart and capable, but still struggle under pressure
Adaptive Listening® solves
The problem nobody is talking about
You left the meeting thinking it went well. Your colleague left thinking it went nowhere. Both of you listened the entire time.
That’s the gap this book was written for. Not a lack of attention. A mismatch between how you listened and what the other person actually needed from you.
Your direct report needed you to challenge her thinking. You validated her feelings instead. Your VP needed a decision in 15 minutes. You spent 14 asking clarifying questions. The room needed someone to absorb the details. You jumped to solutions.
Every one of those is good listening. Just the wrong kind at the wrong time.
What You’ll Learn with Adaptive Listening®
Recognize why your last meeting ended without alignment
Identify your S.A.I.D. Listening Style™ and understand when it costs you
Read what someone actually needs from you before you respond
Diagnose communication breakdowns in meetings, 1:1s, and cross-functional work
Go Deeper
Learn the Full Framework on Your Own
Bring Adaptive Listening® to Your Team
Find Your Listening Style
What Leaders are Saying
“Great communication is not just about how you present and how you speak. It’s about how you listen. Adaptive Listening teaches the skill you will wish you had learned sooner.”
“Adaptive Listening inspires a major paradigm shift. It will help you realize that your listening skills are just as important as your speaking skills. This is wisdom that will help improve communication across your organization and create a much healthier culture.”
“Feedback starts with soliciting ideas from others, and listening to what they say with the intent to understand their goals before you reply in a way that rewards the candor. That’s easier said than done. Adaptive Listening will teach you how!”
Online and In-Person Training:
Take the Full Adaptive Listening® Course
Uncover a better way to listen that goes beyond active listening and paying attention. Learn about the way you prefer to listen, and adapt to meet the needs of others.
Live online or in person
Meet the Authors
Co-created by Maegan Stephens, Ph.D., and Nicole Lowenbraun, M.S., CCC-SLP — communication experts at Duarte, Inc. who spent a decade studying how people
actually listen at work.
Maegan Stephens
Senior Director, Communication Services
Maegan Stephens, Ph.D., started earning her “10,000 hours” back when she was a competitive public-speaker in high school and college (yes, that’s a thing). From there, she sharpened her research skills with a Ph.D. in Communication Studies from The University of Texas at Austin. She is the co-creator of the Adaptive Listening® methodology and currently leads a team of Duarte, Inc. strategists, writers, and speaker coaches to transform the way people communicate.
Nicole Lowenbraun
Content Director, Executive Speaker Coach
Nicole Lowenbraun, M.S., CCC-SLP, is a communication nerd who uses her unique speech-language pathology background – and decades of business acumen – to help clients excel in speaking, writing, and listening. With a Master’s in Communication Disorders, Nicole is passionate about fostering more inclusive communication in the workplace. She’s a Content Director at Duarte, Inc. and the proud co-creator of Adaptive Listening® – the new gold standard for listening in the workplace.