In the classroom, I like to give my students a listening exercise.

I split them up in pairs.

I ask one of them to speak about something they are deeply passionate about for two minutes.

Then, I ask the other person to be the worst listener in the world.

I mean, downright rude.

I want them to actively ignore their partner.

When the two minutes are up, I have

them switch. This time, one of them talks about something extremely boring for two minutes,

how they make their coffee in the morning, or how they get to work, and the other listens like

they're telling the world's best story, or like they're a close friend. The point of

this exercise is to demonstrate the impact of listening, and there are different kinds of

listening too. It's a skill just like talking, and it completely changes the dynamic of the

interaction. So how do we figure out what kind of listening the person across from us needs?

I'm Madhupacanola.

This is Ted Business, a podcast from TED.

Our speakers today, Megan Stevens, and Nicole Lohenbron are listening experts.

And they're here to tell us that anyone can learn

how to be a great listener if we figure out how to prioritize the needs of who we're talking to.

They're doing away with the concept of active listening and bringing us instead adaptive listening,

and they're giving us four different ways to do it. Then after the

talk, how can you best identify the needs of your conversation partner? But first, a quick break.

And now, Megan Stevens and Nicole Lohenbronn take the TED stage.

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