Today I’m pulling you into a conversation I’ve been hanging out to have again, because Julian Treasure is one of those rare humans who makes you rethink how you speak, how you listen, and even how your office is quietly wrecking your brain.

I open by asking a simple question: what’s your favourite TED Talk? Because TED is basically the internet’s global library of “oh wow” moments. I share a few of mine, and then we get into the reason Julian’s back, his talk “How to Speak so that People Want to Listen” is one I use all the time in my workshops.

Julian’s done five TED Talks, his videos have been viewed more than 100 million times, and he’s living proof that voice and listening aren’t “soft skills”. They’re career skills.
What we get into

1) Open plan offices: productivity killers in a suit

Julian doesn’t mince words: open plan offices are often a nightmare. Noise is the number one complaint and it’s not even close. Too loud, you lose focus. Too quiet, you feel watched and you stop talking anyway. Either way, it’s not the collaboration utopia architects promised.

He also shares the research that open plan can lead to more emails and less talking because people don’t want to be overheard.

2) Noise isn’t just annoying. It’s a health issue.

Julian explains that we’ve got limited bandwidth for conversations and when speech is around you, it hijacks your attention. Long exposure to higher workplace noise isn’t just “a vibe problem”. It can lift stress and impact health over time.

3) The office should be “activity-based”, not one-size-fits-all

We talk about activity-based working: the idea that an office should have different zones for different work types. Quiet space for deep work. Open space for collaboration. Booths for calls. A space designed like a living system, not a factory floor.

4) Biophilia and soundscapes (yes, it’s a thing)

Julian shares what his company has been building: soundscapes designed to improve wellbeing and productivity, using nature-based audio (often water) rather than artificial “coloured noise”. It’s niche, and it’s fascinating.

5) My favourite bit: how facilitators can design the room for better collaboration

Julian gives a simple, practical checklist for any workshop space:

• Acoustics: soft surfaces, curtains, carpet, irregular shapes help
• Noise sources: fans, traffic, hallway machines, anything that drags attention away
• Sound system: match it to room size and your voice, and consider your own mic rig
• Setup discipline: arrive early, reset the room at breaks, make it feel cared for

He even suggests the easiest room test: walk in and clap. Your ears will tell you the truth.

6) Why silence is the first lesson in a speaking course

This surprised me too. Julian starts his course with silence because silence is the baseline for real listening. If you can’t listen properly, you can’t speak into what people actually need. Speaking and listening aren’t separate skills, they feed each other in real time.

He drops a question I’m stealing forever:

“What’s the listening I’m speaking into?”

Different room, different time of day, different culture, different mood. If you don’t adapt to that, you’re basically performing at people, not communicating with them.

7) Handling disagreement without getting defensive

This part was gold. Julian says most of our defensiveness comes from two addictions:

• wanting to look good
• wanting to be right

Both are understandable. Both will sabotage you in front of a group.

The better move is curiosity: “I don’t agree, but I want to understand how you got there.” He talks about listening with compassion and recognising that people’s assumptions are shaped by their history. Same interaction, totally different interpretation.

Links and resources mentioned

• Julian’s book: How to Be Heard
• Free listening exercises via Julian’s website: juliantreasure.com
• Julian’s course: speaking and listening course at speaklistenbe.com (Julian mentions it’s discounted at time of recording)

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Show notes for every episode at https://podcast.leannehughes.com

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