Learn How To Deeply Listen From Author & Award-Winning Podcast Host Oscar Trimboli
Oscar Trimboli is an author, host of the Apple award-winning podcast Deep Listening and a sought-after keynote speaker.
He is also the author of How to Listen: Discover the Hidden Key to Better Communication — the most comprehensive book about listening in the workplace.
Along with the Deep Listening Ambassador Community, he is on a quest to create 100 million deep listeners in the workplace. Through his work with chairs, boards of directors, and executive teams, Oscar has experienced first-hand the transformational impact leaders can have when they listen beyond words. He believes that when leadership teams focus their attention and listening, they will build organizations that create powerful legacies for the people they serve – today and more importantly, for future generations.
Oscar is a marketing and technology industry veteran working for Microsoft, PeopleSoft, Polycom, and Vodafone. He consults with organizations including American Express, AstraZeneca, Cisco, Google, HSBC, IAG, Montblanc, PwC, Salesforce, Sanofi, SAP, and Siemens.
Oscar loves his afternoon walks with his wife, Jennie, and their dog Kilimanjaro. On the weekends, you will find him playing Legos with one or all of his four grandchildren.
Oscar talks about how to deeply listen in the workplace and insights on success and possibilities.
Where are you from originally?
Sydney, Australia
What was the inspiration for the development of your business?
Tracy, a Vice President at Microsoft said,
“Oscar, If you could code how you listen, you could change the world.”
How do you think the economy will benefit from this?
Poor listening increases costs to businesses and governments. Not listening to customers reduces profitability and policy impact. It creates a huge cost of recruitment and training because great employees leave before they want to.
Social media is the widest-used method of information sharing and communication, do you think that this will change or only evolve?
Social media will evolve from free to paid. Advertising-supported business models maximize economic impact for technology companies rather than customers or users. These benefits will need to be shared more equitably in the future between customers, providers, and users.
What is a current challenge for you and how would you approach it?
Our north star is 100 million deep listeners in the workplace. Ensuring our message is simple and easy to understand is a challenge. Creating a range of accessible formats including books, cards, 90-day challenges, courses, jigsaw puzzles, podcasts, and webinars means we can achieve this outcome.
How do you prefer receiving feedback?
All feedback is valid; some feedback is useful. Feedback tells you where you were. Feedforward tells you what and how to improve next time.
We have an always-on survey for our community to ensure we catch the feedback. Toward the end of every conversation or meeting, I ask,
“If we did this meeting again next week, what would we do differently?”
What was one thing you did that exceeded your expectations when you began developing your business?
The thing I realized is everyone across the world struggles with the same issues when listening at work. What exceeded my expectation, is that making the tips simple and easy to practice makes a huge difference for everyone.
What does success mean to you? What are your rules for success?
Success for me means creating a positive and multi-generational impact every day. This helps us decide what to focus on and what NOT to do.
How do you handle comparisons between your innovation and that of other companies? What is one way you continue to distinguish your brand and stand apart?
Deep listening is different from active listening.
Active listening is about focusing on what is said by the speaker. Whereas, deep listening is about noticing what is NOT being said.
What trends are you most excited about for 2023?
The world is full of possibilities. Although most people think four is half of eight, three is half of eight, and zero is half of eight – when you listen for similarities and differences – the possibilities are infinite.
The Fox Magazine is all about inspiration, what or who inspires you the most?
Emmeline Pankhurst failed over many decades to get women the right to vote in the United Kingdom. Eventually, her tenacity and ability to organize women across the United Kingdom inspired women around the world to agitate for the right to vote in their country.
What’s something people would be surprised to learn about you?
My wife and I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa and “got married” at dinner the following night.
What is your favorite or original innovation-related motto, quote, or words to live by?
“Consider fully, act decisively.” — Kano Jigoro
Connect with Oscar Trimboli!
