Conscious Listening: The Skill You Use Most and Train Least
A free 30-minute masterclass for senior leaders on Tuesday 16 June 2026, with Julian Treasure.
Most-watched TED speaker of all time. 17 talks, 141 million views.
You've probably had formal training in writing. In presenting. In analysis. In strategy.
Almost nobody has ever had formal training in conscious listening, the half of communication on which everything else depends.
And listening at a senior level is not what most people think it is. It is not hearing. It is not nodding politely. It is not waiting for your turn to speak.
Conscious listening is a learnable framework with named techniques, distinct listening positions, and measurable outcomes.
It is the leadership capability that quietly determines whether your direct reports tell you what they're really thinking, whether your customers come back, whether your strategy lands or evaporates between the boardroom and the front line, and whether the people closest to your operations and risks let you in on what they can see.
This has never been more urgent. AI is now quietly removing whatever conscious attention we used to bring to connecting: meetings are auto-summarised, replies are auto-drafted, and a transcript is a stand-in for being in the room. The one muscle that was already weak is wasting away at the exact moment it is becoming the rarest, most human, most valuable thing you have.
In 30 minutes I'll walk you through
- Why hearing and listening are not the same thing, and why the difference is now a strategic issue at senior level
- The single shift in listening position that changes the quality of what people tell you, in your very next conversation that matters
- A short live exercise that demonstrates how much you're not currently catching
What you'll leave with
One specific listening practice you can use the same day, with a clear sense of what it improves: the quality of the information you get from your team, the depth of conversations with your most valuable customers, and the decisions you make with the data you didn't realise you were missing. 20 minutes of teaching from me, 10 minutes for your questions.
The format
Live on Zoom, twice on Tuesday 16 June 2026:
It'll be the same content in both sessions, so pick whichever fits your day. Camera on is preferred. A recording of the session you register for is sent the next day.
About Julian Treasure
With 17 TED and TEDx talks viewed more than 141 million times, Julian is the most-watched TED speaker of all time. He's the author of three books on listening, speaking and the power of sound, and his work is used by senior leaders and organisations globally. He has trained more than 150,000 people in conscious communication.
Julian at TED 2026
Arena keynote in Puebla, Mexico