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The evidence is overwhelming: When people listen well they do better personally and professionally. So why aren't we listening better? In this lecture, Dr. Kluger will explore the theory and evidence behind better listening and the obstacles that might be preventing us all from becoming better listeners.

Limited space available and registration is required to attend this lecture. Register now! 

Lecture Abstract
When people listen well, they do better in work, marriage, parenting, negotiation, medicine, psychiatric treatment, and consulting. To explain these outcomes, Episodic Listening Theory (Kluger & Itzchakov, 2022) suggests that listening produces a virtuous dyadic cycle in which a listener increases the authenticity of the speaker, which in turn improves listening, culminating in rare moments of togetherness (good relationships). In these moments of togetherness, people tolerate paradoxes and inconsistencies and are creative. When the togetherness episode ends, people leave it with greater clarity, novel plans, heightened well-being, and a stronger attachment to the other person. These theoretical claims are consistent with empirical data. For example, in the domain of work, meta-analyses indicate that the strongest correlates of listening are variables reflecting relationship quality (e.g., trust), followed by positive emotions, flexible cognitions, and superior performance, where some of these effects are based on experimental evidence (Kluger et al., 2024). In the domain of attitudes, listening causes attitudes to become more complex and less extreme (Itzchakov et al., 2017), and our new research on the effects of listening training indicates that it also increases a paradoxical mindset. Given this theory-consistent evidence, a question arises regarding why people often do not listen well. Dr. Kluger will describe key obstacles to listening and the fledgling research supporting them, including cognitive demand, avoidance-attachment style, second-hand trauma, and resistance to change.

Itzchakov, G., Kluger, A. N., & Castro, D. R. (2017). I am aware of my inconsistencies but can tolerate them: The effect of high quality listening on speakers' attitude ambivalence. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 43(1), 105–120.  

Kluger, A. N., & Itzchakov, G. (2022). The power of listening at work. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 9, 121-146.  

Kluger, A. N., Lehmann, M., Aguinis, H., Itzchakov, G., Gordoni, G., Zyberaj, J., & Bakaç, C. (2024). A Meta-analytic Systematic Review and Theory of the Effects of Perceived Listening on Work Outcomes. Journal of Business and Psychology, 39(2), 295-344.