We have all experienced being “in tune with” or “on the same wavelength” as someone else. But did you know that when you listen and really “get” what another person is saying, your brain waves literally sync with theirs?

I’m a little bit obsessed with neuroscience, so to learn that there is a visible coupling of neural pathways between the brains of someone who is listening to the thoughts, feelings and memories of someone else, and those of the speaker was a little mind-blowing. And yet, perhaps not.

It’s easy to see how learning to listen better in the workplace can unlock thoughts and ideas that might otherwise be stifled long before they have even really got going, let alone found expression. Architects would find out more about their clients’ vision; senior architects working with younger colleagues would find that fresh ideas have room to emerge; and teams would be more collaborative.

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