Energy Series 03: The Art of Listening
Every week in this series, we explore energy as the unseen force that shapes how we lead, coach, and influence. The goal isn’t control — it’s consciousness. Not perfection — intention.
Why Listening Is the Most Powerful Skill a Coach Can Have
In a world obsessed with talking, the real power lies in listening. Research shows that people retain only about 25–50% of what they hear — meaning half the meaning in most conversations gets lost. And yet, in leadership studies, when employees feel genuinely heard, engagement rises, trust deepens, and performance follows.
One study by the Center for Creative Leadership found that when leaders listen and then take action, employees feel twice as heard compared to when leaders listen passively. Listening isn’t a soft skill — it’s a force multiplier.
For coaches, it’s everything. It’s the foundation of transformation, and the skill I believe is the biggest underrated game-changer in the world.
The Sound Beneath the Words
Most people listen to respond. Coaches listen to receive. (Or I hope that they do).
When you truly listen, you don’t just hear the story, but you feel its frequency. You notice the tremor in a breath, the pause before a truth, the way energy tightens or opens. You begin to sense what’s unsaid. That’s where the real data lives.
Listening is presence made visible. It’s how people know they matter.
Listening as an Energy Stance
In Core Energy Coaching, listening isn’t about what you hear, it’s about how you hold.
You interact in ways that make people feel seen, valued, and accepted. You invite full expression, offer empathy without rescuing, and trust that every client already carries their own answers within. You remain unattached to being right — because listening isn’t about control; it’s about awareness.
This is what energetic listening looks like:
You see the person, not just their performance.
You hold space instead of filling it.
You reflect, not to correct, but to reveal.
You trust the process more than your expertise.
When you listen this way, energy shifts. Clients move from resistance to clarity, from confusion to choice. Listening becomes less about words and more about resonance — the subtle alignment between what’s said and what’s felt.
The Science of Silence
Silence is where listening matures.
The average person speaks about 150 words per minute, but thinks nearly ten times faster. That means your client’s mind is already miles ahead of their words. If you rush to fill every pause, you interrupt the insight that’s still forming.
True listening means trusting the silence to do its work. It’s not an absence of sound — it’s the space where awareness lands.
Listening as Leadership
When you lead with listening, everything changes. Teams communicate more openly. Clients find their own breakthroughs. Even conflict becomes less threatening because people feel understood before they feel corrected.
A 2023 Salesforce study found that employees who feel heard are 4.6 times more likely to feel empowered to perform their best work. Listening builds psychological safety, and psychological safety is the soil of growth.
Leadership, at its core, is energetic listening in motion.
Your Practice for the Week
In your next conversation — whether with a client, a colleague, or someone you love — try this:
Pause before you speak. Take one breath and tune into the energy of the moment.
Ask yourself: What is this person really saying? What might they need to say?
Hold the silence. Let them meet their own awareness before you add yours.
Because when you master the art of listening, you don’t just guide transformation — you become the space where it happens.
Listening is leadership.
Listening is energy in motion.
And the best coaches in the world know:
the quieter you are, the more powerful your presence becomes.
References & Further Reading
Center for Creative Leadership (2020). Coaching Others: Use Active Listening Skills.
https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/coaching-others-use-active-listening-skillsEffective Presentations (2023). The Art of Listening: Why Most of Us Don’t.
https://effectivepresentations.com/blog/listeningSalesforce (2023). State of the Connected Customer Report.
https://www.salesforce.com/resources/research-reports/state-of-the-connected-customerAmerican University (Executive Coaching Division). ROI of Executive Coaching.
https://www.american.edu/provost/ogps/executive-education/executive-coaching/roi-of-executive-coaching.cfmKline, N. (2015). Time to Think: Listening to Ignite the Human Mind. Cassell Publishing.
