Human connectionListening & empathy
5 practices · 2 case practices · 1 free
Check that you understand what someone means before offering help.
Listening here means finding out what someone means before you offer help. In each scenario you pick up one specific thing a person said, check that you understood it, and leave room for them to tell you what they need.
The situations involve friends, family, teammates and customers. Some are case practices, where you read notes and choose your questions before you write.
Situations you can practice
Every practice is a written scenario. Case practices add a file to investigate before you decide what to say.
Your friend missed a promotion after six months on a project
Maya hasn’t asked about leaving, and you know of a job she could apply for. Respond to what she said, then ask what she needs tonight.
8 minFoundationsFree starter
A customer’s team left your task board for a spreadsheet
You have 15 minutes with Sam. Use your notes to choose questions about what happened, and leave out the ones your notes answer or that pitch your fixes.
12 minFoundationsCase practiceSoulful
A quiet new teammate speaks up just before the group decides
Jin says his thought is “probably not important.” Give him a way to share it now or later, and change how the group decides.
9 minStretchSoulful
Your sibling wants to quit a steady job to care for family
Alex says your money questions leave them alone with the caring. Ask about their days, then find a way back to the practical questions.
12 minDeep practiceSoulful
Your first week embedded with a client that wants to use AI
Read what the sponsor wants, what you saw the team do and what they already have, choose the first step that fits, then check it’s the right problem.
15 minDeep practiceCase practiceSoulful
Read more on listening & empathy
What to do when a quiet person finally speaks upHow to respond when someone who rarely talks in meetings offers a thought, and how to give them ways to contribute that still count.How to listen without rushing to fix itA listening example for a sibling who failed a driving test again: what to reflect back, when to ask about advice, and what to say if they go quiet.How to help a family member without taking overWhen you want to fix a relative’s situation fast, ask what their days are like first, then offer help they can accept, decline or reshape.The research behind these practices
Each practice cites the studies that informed its design and says where they may not apply. These are the sources cited most across the 5 practices on this page; they inform the practices and are not proof that the practices work.
- IMBUE: interpersonal practice and just-in-time feedback (Randomized study · interpersonal effectiveness, 2024). Cited by 3 practices here.
A study of 86 participants examined simulated interpersonal practice. Transfer differed across skill and emotional outcomes, supporting varied rehearsal while cautioning against broad transformation claims.
- CARE: simulated practice with structured feedback (Randomized study · counseling microskills, 2026). Cited by 2 practices here.
A study of 94 novice counselors examined practice with and without feedback. It supports a feedback-and-revision mechanism in that setting; generalization to everyday life or this product remains untested.
- A meta-analysis of the team learning pathway (Meta-analysis · organizational teams, 2025). Cited by 1 practice here.
This synthesis examines relationships among team learning orientation, psychological safety, learning, and team outcomes. Associations do not prove that any single leadership script causes improved performance.
- A systematic review on the relationship between user involvement and system success (Systematic review · Information and Software Technology, 2015). Cited by 1 practice here.
Bano and Zowghi reviewed 87 empirical studies: 52 found that involving users helped a system succeed, 12 found a negative effect and 23 were uncertain. They conclude the relationship is neither direct nor simple, so this supports involving the client, not any particular routine.
- Asking applicants what they would do versus what they did do: a meta-analytic comparison of situational and past behaviour employment interview questions (Meta-analysis · Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 2002). Cited by 1 practice here.
Taylor and Small found that questions about what people actually did predicted job performance slightly better than questions about what they would do. They studied hiring interviews, not customer research.
- Effectiveness of requirements elicitation techniques: empirical results derived from a systematic review (Systematic review · IEEE Requirements Engineering Conference, 2006). Cited by 1 practice here.
Davis and colleagues pooled empirical studies comparing ways to learn what a software system must do and found interviews, preferably structured ones, among the most effective. The authors note the underlying studies were mostly not replicated. None of them tested a consultant’s first week at a client.
4 more sources are listed on the research page.
Limits
Research on listening supports its value for understanding and connection. It does not show that making someone feel heard changes their mind, so these scenarios never treat agreement as the goal.
Leetsoul has not shown that these practices improve skill in real life, and the original scenarios have not been independently tested. The sources inform the design of the exercises.
Try one in your own words
Write your response to a fictional conversation, read the guidance, then decide what you would change. Three starter practices are free; Soulful opens the full library.
Written by Leetsoul. Updated . Scenarios are fictional.