By: Mary Specter
In an age of rising digital noise and shrinking attention spans, one skill is often overlooked in today’s curricula: listening. Christine Miles, M.S. Ed., founder and CEO of EQuipt and creator of The Listening Path®, has made it her goal to change that.
Miles says, “We’re taught to read, write, and speak, but not to listen in a way that truly connects us. When students and teachers experience real understanding, learning can deepen, trust may build, and outcomes could improve.”
Why Listening Belongs in the Curriculum
Educators are increasingly recognizing that success in the 21st century requires more than content mastery. Collaboration, critical thinking, and emotional intelligence are all influenced by a foundation of listening. Listening comprehension is a key factor in predicting reading comprehension and plays a significant role in academic growth.
Miles’ award-winning book, What Is It Costing You Not to Listen?, makes the case that listening, rather than speaking, is potentially the true engine of leadership development. She is now working to expand this vision into schools with new programs, including a licensable classroom curriculum and a children’s book, The Listening Path: An Interactive Story Gathering Book of Listening to Understand.
Miles explains, “Parents often say they wish their kids would listen more and open up more. This book offers space for both.”
When teachers have the right tools to bring a culture of listening to understanding into their classroom, they may become more engaging and respectful: students could feel valued, participate more freely, and learn more deeply.
A Systemic Lens on Communication
Miles began her career as a family therapist at the Philadelphia Child Guidance Center and became a certified Structural Family Therapist trained in the lineage of Salvador Minuchin, the pioneer of family systems therapy. That credential shaped her systemic perspective on communication.
She later founded EQuipt to bring listening into organizations, schools, and leadership. Her programs have helped train executives, educators, and teams at companies such as SAP, McCain Foods, Harmony Biosciences, Brewer Science, Keck Medical, and Rowan University. She also serves on the Executive Advisory Council for the Rohrer College of Business and the MBA Advisory Council at Rowan University, where she helps shape curricula that prepare students for today’s workforce.
The Listening Path® in Schools
The Listening Path® is Miles’ signature system, a structured approach that turns listening into a teachable skill. At its heart is what she calls story gathering, bringing another person’s perspective into focus before adding your own.
Through animated lessons, passports, maps, and interactive materials, students practice three simple but powerful moves:
- Go Back (for the story): Ask what matters most before jumping to conclusions.
- Communicate (understanding): Summarize the story you heard in clear, simple terms.
- Confirm (invite correction): Replace “I understand” with “Do I get you?”
The Elementary Program is in more than 20 schools across the U.S., Canada, and Ireland and has been nominated for the prestigious Mom’s Choice® Award. Teachers report experiencing stronger classroom culture, reduced conflict, and greater empathy among students.
Listening as an Antidote to Distraction
A 2023 Common Sense Media report found U.S. teens average 8 hours and 39 minutes per day on screens outside of schoolwork—often more time than they spend sleeping. With so much noise competing for attention, students are processing more information but understanding less.
Embedding listening into curricula is essential, not as an add-on, but as a counterbalance to overload. By practicing presence, students can learn to quiet mental noise and anchor in the moment. This may strengthen comprehension and support the psychological safety that makes learning possible.
From the Playing Field to the Classroom
Miles also draws inspiration from her own academic and athletic journey. On the sports field, she was neither the fastest nor the strongest. Yet she excelled in field hockey and became a three-time All-American, a Honda-Broderick nominee, her college’s Female Athlete of the Year, and a two-time U.S. Field Hockey Team trials participant. Ultimately, she was inducted into the Millersville University Athletic Hall of Fame.
Her edge? Listening, observing, and responding strategically. These are the same human skills that can elevate classrooms and boardrooms.
From Classrooms to Careers
Employers frequently rank communication and teamwork among the top skills they look for in graduates, yet many say new hires lack them. To meet this need, Miles is launching Mastering the Listening Path® for High School, an animated program designed to teach teenagers the skills of empathy, conflict resolution, and coachability. These are the skills essential for higher education and career success.
According to Miles, “Listening is the skill that helps every other skill work. If we want the next generation to thrive, listening needs to be part of the curriculum, not left to chance.”
The Education Imperative
Miles’ influence as a listening pioneer continues to grow. She was honored as a 2023 Enterprising Women of the Year by Enterprising Women Magazine and named to Marquis Who’s Who for her leadership and contributions. Her work has been featured nationally on ABC, NBC, NPR, Sirius XM, and USA Today, and she continues to speak to audiences ranging from 100 to 10,000 worldwide.
As schools face rising mental health concerns, widening achievement gaps, and digital overload, listening offers a simple yet powerful solution. Embedding it into curricula can give students the tools to build empathy, strengthen critical thinking, and prepare for the demands of today’s workforce.
Miles says, “When we make listening teachable, we change the trajectory of students’ lives. And when we change how the next generation listens, we may change the future.”
To learn more about Christine Miles and The Listening Path®, visit thelisteningpath.com or follow her on LinkedIn and Instagram.
