LISTENING BETTER - Why Simple, Yet So Difficult

  • Ninety-six percent of all people consider themselves good listeners, but only half of their conversation partners would confirm that.
  • A clever book about communication and self-reflection - for everyone who wants to listen better or feels they are not being heard enough.

Rhetoric seminars, where we learn how to speak, are everywhere, but nowhere do we learn how to listen well. On closer inspection, listening appears to be a pressing theme of our time. In recent years, there has been a boom in listening services. Anyone who wants to share something can make use of them. And listening is omnipresent in the media, too, as supporters of right-wing parties complain: “Nobody listens to you anymore.”

The ability to actively listen has suffered. This is due to the isolation of society, our ever-shrinking attention span, and the fast pace of our daily lives. Anja Schauberger meets people who introduce her to different aspects of listening, including a couples therapist, a pastor, a listening coach, and a barkeeper. She takes us along on her journey to become a better listener - and in doing so, finds answers to the question of what we all stand to gain if we learn to listen better again.

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  • Publisher: Rowohlt Polaris
  • Release: 19.06.2026
  • ISBN: 978-3-499-01900-5
  • 272 Pages
  • Author: Anja Schauberger

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Buchcover von LISTENING BETTER - Why Simple, Yet So Difficult: Warum eine scheinbar einfache Sache doch so schwer ist
Anja Schauberger LISTENING BETTER - Why Simple, Yet So Difficult
Portrait von Anja Schauberger
© Flo Stiebing
Anja Schauberger

Anja Schauberger was born in Munich in 1990. After studying German Literature at LMU Munich and completing a traineeship at Burda Verlag, she established the online magazine Mit Vergnügen  in Munich as its Editorial Director. Since then, she has worked as a freelance journalist and author for various media outlets, including the Süddeutsche Zeitung , the interview magazine Galore , and the travel magazine Merian . Her debut novel, Und wieder Winter , about her mother’s cancer illness, was published by Schwarzkopf & Schwarzkopf in 2012, and the interview book Auf der Suche nach dem Sinn was published by Knesebeck in 2022. She most enjoys conducting interviews, meeting new people, and listening.