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Forbes
5 days ago
- Forbes
How Deep Listening Is A Radical Act
In a time marked by distrust, polarization, and profound disconnection, Emily Kasriel, the author of Deep Listening (HarperCollins, 2025), believes that really listening to each other can help us repair the social fabric that has frayed. In her new book, she draws from her work as a journalist, executive coach, editor, and mediator to provide practical insights for readers. She also presents a concept called social technology, which is a way of being that can shift individual conversations, communities, and institutions. I interviewed Kasriel after reading her book. My first question focused on what prompted her to write Deep Listening at this time. Kasriel shared, 'The increasing polarization we're witnessing globally served as a powerful catalyst for me writing this book. As I explore in the polarization chapter in Part One, we're living in a time when many societies are fragmenting into distinct tribes, with people increasingly unwilling to engage with different perspectives, and the research we carried out for the book, with YouGov and the NGO More in Common, indicates this is a particular challenge for Gen Z, who are far more likely to avoid listening to people whose views they don't like." The growing divide Kasriel discusses is more than theoretical; it is measurable, and people are living through it. She explained, "This troubling trend isn't just about disagreement – it's about fundamental disconnection, where we stop seeing the humanity in those with differing viewpoints.' Kasriel helps readers understand how the digital landscape has accelerated divisions, with 'algorithms that reward outrage and confirmation bias rather than nuanced understanding.' For her, the urgency to write came from realizing how Deep Listening might 'help counteract some of these forces and perhaps restore a sense of shared humanity.' She explained, 'Deep Listening offers a radical alternative to this pattern by creating conversations where genuine connection can occur across divides.' Kasriel emphasized that Deep Listening is not just about changing personal habits but also about confronting a broader societal turning point. She shared, 'I believe we're at an inflection point where we must choose between further fragmentation or renewed connection. The practice of Deep Listening isn't just a nice communication skill – it's a necessary foundation for addressing complex challenges, in a business or society, from climate change to adapting to AI.' Kasriel hopes that by creating a comprehensive guide 'to equip readers with practical tools to bridge divides in their personal lives, professional settings, and communities,' she will ultimately contribute to a less polarized, more connected world. Screaming man in a time of polarization getty Kasriel's reflections on polarization and the urgency of reconnection made me think about how her professional background might have positioned her to understand and teach about the power of listening. I asked her how her experiences shaped her thinking in the book. She shared, 'As a broadcaster, I spent years interviewing people from presidents to market traders to musicians, but it took me time to learn that the most compelling stories emerge when you create a space where people feel deeply heard.' She admitted that, early on, she made the mistake many interviewers make – planning the next move or question instead of being fully present. Kasriel explained, 'For too long, I squandered my attention thinking of the next brilliant question to ask, the best way to challenge my speaker, rather than being fully present with what was unfolding right in front of me. In the book, I tell the story of an interview I conducted with the Ethiopian president, Meles Zenawi. He was a complex and contradictory character, but my desire to hold him to account about human rights abuses stopped me from broadcasting what could have been a truly illuminating interview – he cut it off early.' The experience stuck with Kasriel, as did another more recent experience. She shared, 'I interviewed a climate denying dairy farmer, and here I was able to use Deep Listening to uncover his deeper narrative, to make sense of his story, so that when I published it on the BBC website, though it was framed with substantial climate science, he still felt heard.' Kasriel adheres to this commitment to listening in her work beyond journalism and broadcasting. She explained, 'In my work as an executive coach and mediator, Deep Listening plays a central, indeed indispensable, role. I've discovered here how rare it is for someone to feel completely listened to – how people open up and share authentic perspectives when they sense you're genuinely interested rather than just waiting for your turn to speak.' She added, 'In my mediating, I witnessed how transformative it can be when people who see each other as enemies have the experience of being genuinely heard by the 'other side.' In these settings, I refined techniques for creating safety and holding space during difficult conversations-skills that directly informed several of the eight steps in my methodology.' Given her extensive experience, Kasriel realized that listening is not a passive act but a deliberate practice. She noted that both meditation and academic research demonstrate that Deep Listening 'isn't passive but requires active engagement and careful attention to what's beneath surface-level communication. Through listening differently, you transform what your speaker shares or even thinks.' Kasriel's stories throughout her book reminded me how often we underestimate the impact of being deeply heard by others. I asked her if a pivotal moment or experience convinced her that Deep Listening could be transformational. She explained, 'The global study I outline in Part One of my book, in the chapter 'How Deep Listening Will Enrich Your Life' – represented a defining moment in demonstrating to me Deep Listening's power.' Listening to each other, deeply. getty She had 1000 participants from 119 countries engage in the project, and the results are powerful. Kasriel noted, 'The academic researchers were struck by a consistent pattern: regardless of background, when people experienced being truly heard, they a greater degree of connection with their conversation partners, felt safer to express themselves and genuinely understood, and gained insight about themselves, linking to an openness to re-examine their own attitudes.' The conversations took on difficult issues, yet people could engage meaningfully. Kasriel explained, 'They also demonstrated better listening behaviours even as they discussed topics about which they profoundly disagreed: Does personal success depend on social class? Should reparations be paid to the descendants of enslaved people? Social media – good or bad for humanity?' What was most striking for Kasriel was the ripple effect that Deep Listening could produce. She stated, 'What ultimately convinced me to dedicate my work to this practice was recognizing how often Deep Listening creates ripple effects that extend beyond the initial conversation. When people experience being deeply heard, they become more likely to listen deeply to others, creating a virtuous cycle that gradually transforms communication patterns. Seeing this phenomenon repeat across different settings, from corporate boardrooms to diverse communities, made it clear that Deep Listening represents not just a personal skill but a social technology with the power to, in part, address our most pressing collective challenges.' There are eight steps to Deep Listening in Kasriel's book: 1.) Create Space; 2.) Listen to Yourself; 3.) Be Present; 4.) Be Curious; 5.) Hold the Gaze; 6.) Hold the Silence; 7. Reflect Back; and 8.) Go Deeper. I asked her which steps people find most challenging and why. This was an easy answer for Kasriel; she said Step 6. As she conveyed, 'Hold the Silence consistently emerges as the most challenging aspect of Deep Listening for most people that I train. As I explore in this chapter, silence makes many of us profoundly uncomfortable – we rush to fill it, perceiving it as awkward, unproductive, or even threatening.' Kasriel further explained that a discomfort with silence is deeply ingrained in us and cultural: 'This discomfort reveals how deeply our culture conditions us to equate communication value with speech rather than receptive listening. Many participants in my workshops report feeling almost physically unable to allow silence to extend beyond a few seconds, describing an overwhelming urge to jump in with questions, commentary, or redirection.' Kasriel attributes the difficulty that people have to both internal and external pressures. She shared, 'First, there's the performance anxiety many feel in conversation – the pressure to demonstrate competence by speaking rather than listening. Second, silence creates space for emotions and vulnerabilities to surface, which can feel threatening when we're accustomed to keeping interactions at a safe, surface level. Third, particularly in professional contexts, there's often an efficiency mindset that views silence as wasted time rather than as the fertile ground from which deeper insights emerge.' And yet, when people work to push past their discomfort, they often discover something transformative. Kasriel explained it this way: As a practical person, I asked Kasriel what advice she would give to educators or leaders who hope to embed Deep Listening into their work with students or teams. She advised, 'Begin by modelling Deep Listening yourself rather than simply teaching it as a concept. Students and team members will learn more from experiencing being deeply heard by you than from any theoretical explanation of listening techniques.' Kasriel emphasized vulnerability and authenticity as well. She explained, 'This means demonstrating vulnerability by acknowledging when you don't have answers, showing genuine curiosity about diverse perspectives, and visibly incorporating what you hear into your thinking and decision-making. When educators and leaders consistently practice Deep Listening, it sends a powerful message that creates psychological safety and gradually shifts the culture toward more authentic communication and all that can unfold from that.' Kasriel also encouraged embedding Deep Listening into regular routines, not merely reserving it for special occasions. She stated, In ending our exchange, Kasriel reminded me that systems and structures often need to shift to support listening. She said, 'Directly address the systemic barriers to Deep Listening in your environment. In educational settings, this might mean examining how grading systems and participation structures can undermine attentive listening by rewarding quick responses over thoughtful consideration. In organizational contexts, examine how productivity metrics, meeting structures, and communication technologies might be inhibiting Deep Listening. Creating conditions for Deep Listening often requires challenging fundamental assumptions about efficiency, success, and knowledge creation." According to Kasriel, when naming and addressing these types of barriers, "educators and leaders can create sustainable cultures where Deep Listening becomes not just possible but natural, ultimately leading to stronger and more trusting relationships and a greater commitment to the organisation and business, gold dust for any employer.' Engaging with Kasriel made me contemplate that listening is not just a 'soft skill' or a communication tool. It is a form of leadership. It is a way of building or restoring trust, building bridges to others, and making space for emotion. Deep Listening also helps people to feel seen and heard. In her book, Kasriel invites the reader to slow down, be present, and engage with each other with intention. And most importantly, she urges us to remember that we can transform our fragile culture through Deep Listening.
Daily Mail
10-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Amazingly there are 12% of voters who think Rachel Reeves does a GOOD job! Survey gives damning insight into Chancellor's policy backlash
Barely one in ten voters believe that Chancellor Rachel Reeves is doing a good job, a poll has revealed. The YouGov survey, published on the eve of the Chancellor's spending review today, showed widespread disillusionment with her performance since taking office last year. Just 12 per cent of people said Ms Reeves is doing a good job, while 53 per cent said she is doing a bad job – giving her a net approval rating of minus 41. Ms Reeves even fared badly among Labour voters, with only 28 per cent voting in favour of her efforts, while 32 per cent condemned them. A separate poll by the think-tank More In Common found that confidence in Labour's ability to deliver on its promises has collapsed since the election. The survey also revealed that the public has become tired of Labour blaming the country's current problems on the previous Conservative government. Ms Reeves and Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer have repeatedly blamed the Tories for their economic inheritance, including claims of facing a £22billion 'black hole' in the public finances on taking office. But the tactic seems to be wearing thin, with 54 per cent of voters saying Labour is wasting too much time blaming the Tories for its failures in office. The survey also found that 71 per cent of voters do not expect Labour to improve their lives, compared to just 29 per cent who do. When the same question was asked just days after last year's election, 54 per cent said they believed Labour would improve their lives, compared with 46 per cent who did not. In addition to this, the poll suggests just a third of Labour voters believe the changes announced by Ms Reeves in today's spending review will be good for the country. Among the wider public, that figure falls to just 15 per cent, compared with 26 per cent who believe the Chancellor's expected spending splurge will make little difference and 32 per cent who fear decisions announced in the spending review will be generally bad for the country. Civil Service hits 550,000 Civil Service headcount has hit a near 20-year high despite Labour vowing to crack down on numbers. Official figures show the workforce grew by 2,000 in the first three months of the year to 550,000. That was up from 544,000 in March 2024, and is the highest since 2006 when Tony Blair was in power. In March, the Chancellor promised running costs would be reduced by 15 per cent by the end of the decade. And in April ministers announced plans to squeeze numbers, including cutting 2,100 Cabinet Office staff.
Telegraph
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Telegraph
Farage winning over Gen Z women
Nigel Farage is winning over Gen Z women, a new poll has found. Figures show that the Reform UK leader's popularity has surged after the announcement of proposed policies that could benefit young women. Mr Farage's share of support from women aged 18 to 26 nearly doubled, from 12 per cent to 21 per cent in May. It followed his pledge to scrap the two-child benefit cap and introduce a tax break for married couples. Right-wing parties have traditionally struggled to attract young female voters – but the latest poll, shared with Politico by the More in Common think tank, suggested that Reform could buck that trend. Mr Farage's growing influence has also been credited to a social media presence that boasts more than one million followers and 21 million likes on TikTok. Some of Reform's newest female recruits are believed to have defected from the Conservatives, like several of the party's highest-profile members.
Daily Mirror
06-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mirror
Gen Z are ditching iPhones for this retro classic - and it's not a smartphone
Gen Z have been showing off their retro phone finds - but as doomscrolling and social media makes more of an negative impact on our lives, the reason may lie in something more serious Gen Z have been recycling fashion looks from the early 2000s and now they're reclaiming old phones too: from clunky Nokias to iconic flip-phones. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the now-discontinued BlackBerry is becoming the ultimate symbol of retro cool. You may remember BlackBerry 's as the original statement phone. First dropped in 1999, the BlackBerry 850 was a squat digital device, somewhat reminiscent of a school calculator. It went through several revolutions, with the Blackberry Curve, which debuted in 2007, BlackBerry Flip 8220, released in 2008, and the BlackBerry Key One, a smartphone featuring a keyboard, which dropped in 2017. Unfortunately, the times moved on without them. Physical keyboards fell out of favour and were replaced by touchscreen smartphones and scrolling. Eventually, the BlackBerry discontinued servicing their classic phones in 2022, taking their misplaced-but-retroactively-beloved keyboards to their digital grave. But this isn't where the story ends. The BlackBerry is being made relevant once again by none other than Gen Z, who have been sharing their retro-phone finds on TikTok - ironically, given many of these old phones can't actually support the app. Currently, the hashtag flipphone has almost 35K posts on the video-sharing app, while the hashtag for Blackberry also boasts close to 125K. These feature videos, often accumulating hundreds and thousands of views, documenting their return to more basic phones. Help us improve our content by completing the survey below. We'd love to hear from you! A video by gaming and tech influencer @notchonnie garnered over four million views after she posted a video of her white, aesthetically-decorated BlackBerry Classic Q20. 'Is it practical? No. Is it fun to me? Yes," she captioned the clip. It's hard to deny that flip phones, which require a very definitive and fierce wrist flick to open, and their related text culture (i.e. 'c u l8r', 'wbu') have a fun, 2000s nostalgia appeal. But it's not just aesthetics drawing younger users back to these phones. There appears to be a deep desire to get away from social media apps and, ultimately, doomscrolling. In fact, according to poll by More In Common, almost two thirds of Gen Z Brits believe social media does more harm than good, while half admit they wish they'd spent less time on their phones growing up. This can be seen most clearly in the 'flip phone challenge', which has become a hugely popular trend on the app. While the parameters vary, it generally involves people trying to use a flip phone for a period of time extending over weeks to a few months – or even attempting an indefinite switch. A TikTok by @shozi_055 quickly gained over 2.7 million views after she posted her BlackBerry phone unboxing. Her caption read: 'My phone addiction is getting way too out of hand, I'm trying to take my life back.' In the video she added: "POV: you bought a blackberry in 2025 [because] your iPhone is ruining your life." Commenters were eager to share their own experiences with logging in far too much screen time. 'I had a BlackBerry Torch and if I could find one right now, I'd put down my iPhone in a heart beat,' one user wrote. 'When life was soooo simple,' another added. Of course, it's undeniable that nostalgia appears to be also playing a role in the BlackBerry's allure. After all, it's the very first phone that many Gen Z have memories of being told they couldn't have. As one commenter said: 'I'm gonna buy it just because it was a childhood dream to own it.'
Daily Mail
04-06-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Another poll shows Reform surge easing as Labour claws back ground - but Nigel Farage's party still leads
A second poll has suggested Reform's extraordinary surge could be fading as Labour claws back ground. More in Common found support for Nigel Farage 's party had fallen three points in the past week, to 28 per cent. Meanwhile, Labour crept up one point to 23 per cent and the Tories rose two to 21 per cent. The figures were released after the latest YouGov research trimmed Reform's advantage by two points - albeit still five points ahead. The past week has seen Keir Starmer launch an extraordinary full-frontal attack on Mr Farage over his huge tax and spending promises. Reform also endorsed the idea of scrapping the two-child benefit cap as it woos Red Wall voters, a policy not thought to be popular with the wider public. More in Common's Luke Tryl stressed that Reform's lead with the firm was still bigger than the margin for error. But he added: 'We may be seeing some settling from the momentum boost Reform enjoyed in the wake of the local elections.' Sir Keir summoned a press conference during the Parliamentary recess to condemn Mr Farage's economic plans. He warned voters they cannot trust Reform with their 'future, mortgages or jobs', deriding proposals for huge tax cuts and higher spending. The intervention confirmed a major shift in Labour's tactics, from largely ignoring Reform to targeting their rivals head-on, Mr Farage has sought to woo working class Labour voters by backing an end to the two-child benefit cap and full restoration of winter fuel payments. But he simultaneously insists he can slash taxes, with economists suggesting a commitment to hike the personal allowance alone would cost £60billion to £80billion. Reform argues that would be possible by cutting £350billion-£400billion of spending on quangos, Net Zero and DEI policies - although Mr Farage himself acknowledged the figures could be 'slightly optimistic'. The YouGov research published yesterday put Reform on 28 per cent, with Labour on 22 per cent, and the Conservatives barely ahead of the Lib Dems on 18 per cent. Panic has grown in Labour circles following the dramatic local election results, when Reform seized 10 councils, two mayoralties and the Parliamentary seat of Runcorn in a by-election. Sir Keir has signalled he will bow to a revolt by MPs over scrapping the winter fuel allowance, as well as easing the two-child benefit cap. But he is under pressure to go further and water down curbs to disability benefits, despite the government desperately struggling to balance the books.
