The Power of Listening

"It is only by listening that we engage, understand, empathize, cooperate and develop as human beings," writes journalist Kate Murphy in a recent op-ed, distilling the key points of her new book, You're Not Listening. "It is fundamental to any successful relationship — personal, professional and political."

We couldn't agree more, though we sympathize with anyone who finds listening to be a challenge in today's era, when everyone has a social media megaphone. The value of listening stands out most meaningfully for us in focus groups, which give us the chance to listen to different audiences – customers, employees, voters – express their views and values in their own words.