90% of us think we're good listeners — but we retain about 20% of what we hear. In this Squiggly Shortcut, Sarah shares five practical ways to close that listening gap, starting with the one thing most of us never even notice.

🎯 What You'll Learn

– Why listening isn't just about words — and what to pay attention to instead

– How the pressure to respond is the biggest enemy of good listening

– Why repeating back the words someone uses can unlock a whole new conversation

– What a no-interruption meeting feels like — and why it's worth trying with your team

– The simple summarising habit that will make you a noticeably better listener overnight

📚 Resources Mentioned

Episode 319 — Listening with Kate Murphy

You can also find Kate Murphy's book I Never Said I Was a Good Listener via your usual bookshop.

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com

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Download our free career tools

1.Sign up for our Skills Sprints

2.Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools

3.Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster

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What if the way you read could transform how much you actually learn, remember and use? In this episode, Helen and Sarah borrow brilliance from Ryan Holiday's video How to Read Like a Pro — and add a few rules of their own.

From building an anti-library (the books you'd never normally pick up) to treating your books like they're meant to be used, not preserved, this is a practical and personal exploration of how to get more from your reading. Helen also unveils her new Post-it® Note system, and there's a genuine debate about whether folding a page corner is an act of ownership or an act of disrespect.

This episode is brought to you in partnership with Post-it® Brand. If today's episode sparked an idea, stick it down — find out where to buy Post-it® products at go.3M.com/squiggly

🎯 What You'll Learn

– What an anti-library is and why reading outside your comfort zone changes how you think

– How to read with a pen and Post-it® Notes in a way that actually sticks

– Why rereading a book you love can be more valuable than picking up a new one

– The five rules for reading nonfiction more intentionally — plus Helen and Sarah's personal additions

– Books Helen and Sarah would both reread and recommend right now

📚 Resources Mentioned

How to Read Like a Pro — Ryan Holiday (please swap in direct link if you have it)

Unreasonable Hospitality — Will Guidara

Right Kind Wrong — Amy Edmondson

Uncharted — Margaret Heffernan

The Wonder Box — Roman Krznaric

Mash-Up — Ian Sanders

How to Have a Good Day — Caroline Webb

The First 90 Days — Michael D. Watkins

Essentialism — Greg McKeown

Toby Sinclair on LinkedIn

For questions about Squiggly Careers or to share feedback, please email: helenandsarah@squigglycareers.com

Need some more squiggly career support?

1.Download our free career tools

2.Sign up for our Skills Sprints

3.Sign up for our Squiggly Careers Newsletter, a weekly summary of the latest squiggly career tools

4.Order our new book Learn Like a Lobster

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.