UdemyCommunication SkillsPaid courseAll LevelsCertificate

Active Listening Masterclass (Udemy.com)

Stop Hearing; Start Listening. Transform Your Business Now.

4.5

51,131 reviews

Created by: Everett Bowes

Last updated November 2024

Our take

Based on the ratings of 51,131 students, a sample of their written reviews and the syllabus, as the course stood in November 2024. No course pays to be reviewed.

Everett Bowes built a short course around one idea: active listening has four parts, tied to ears, eyes, heart and focus. The syllabus shows 14 lectures across 7 sections, about 31 minutes in total, and more than a third of that sits in a final thoughts section. It is pitched at managers, sales and customer service staff, but also at students and family members. It is a primer, not a training program, and it was last updated in November 2024.

Reviewers like how simple it is. One calls it beginner friendly and direct, and one manager says the heart section was on point. Another reader says it cleared up the gap between hearing and listening, and a third now tries to listen to understand rather than to respond. The complaints are consistent, too. Three-star reviewers mention constant requests to leave a comment, a sense of repetition, a second intro, some siren noise, and few ways to practice. One calls it an overview, not a masterclass.

The numbers are solid. About 105,000 students have enrolled, and the 4.5 average rests on more than 51,000 ratings, with roughly 88 percent at four or five stars. Because it runs half an hour, trying it costs little time. Take it if you want a gentle reset before a round of meetings. Look elsewhere if you need exercises, scripts or coaching, since the reviews say those are thin.

Best forBusy managers and interns who want a plain-spoken reset on listening habits in a single sitting.

Skip it ifAnyone who wants drills, role-plays or real practice material, or who hates repeated requests for reviews.

Pros

Short enough to finish in one sitting, about 31 minutes over 14 lectures
A four-part framework (ears, eyes, heart, focus) built around a memory device
Plain, beginner friendly delivery that reviewers call succinct and direct
The heart section gets praise from a manager as on point for a manager's role

Cons

Repeated asks to leave a comment or feedback distract several reviewers
Light on exercises and ways to practice, more overview than deep training
Some repetition, a second intro and background siren noise in one video

Till now I misunderstood the difference between listening & active listening. Now I know that listening is actually just hearing.

Simina Ghitescu, a student

All Levels fits, since nothing is assumed beyond an open mind and a willingness to look at your own habits.

What you will learn

Transform your leadership.
Increase workplace efficiency.
Radically boost employee retention.
Improve team dynamics.
Understand the negative impact of multitasking while listening.
Learn why we are physically drained after hours of active listening.
Learn the pitfalls that interfere with active listening, and how to avoid them.
Learn how to instill confidence in others while they are speaking, and why.
Improve your promotional advancement potential.
Learn how improvements in conversation skills can impact your organization.

Course content

7 sections · 14 lectures · 31 min of video

1INTRODUCTION TO THE POWER OF LISTENING 1 free preview1 lecture · 1 min
2The Foundation of Listening 1 free preview1 lecture · 2 min
3LISTENING REQUIRES EARS 2 free previews2 lectures · 4 min
4LISTENING REQUIRES EYES2 lectures · 4 min
5LISTENING REQUIRES HEART2 lectures · 5 min
6LISTENING REQUIRES FOCUS1 lecture · 2 min
7FINAL THOUGHTS 2 free previews5 lectures · 12 min

Who it is for

The instructor says it suits

Anyone wanting to improve their work or personal relationships
Anyone in a leadership position
Business leaders, owners, managers, and executives
Anyone working in sales or retail
Entrepreneurs and thought-leaders
Church & Ministry staff
Students, Interns, Recent college grads
Milenials

What you need before you start

An open mind, a spirit of self-inspection, and willingness to improve yourself.
A desire to improve your business (and personal) relationships.

How it compares

Against the other 392 rated Udemy courses in Communication Skills on CourseDuck:

Rating4.5 out of 5higher than 42% of them
Reviews51,131#6 of 393 by number of reviews
Length0.5 hoursshorter than 98% of them
Last updatedNovember 2024earlier than 60% of them

Course Description

Everyone hears, but few listen.

Active listening is the key to increasing leadership equity, unlocking employee retention, increasing workplace efficiency, and so much more!

What was once considered an innate ability (a trait everyone was born with) has now become a specialized skill; something that takes effort, practice, and intentionality.

Did you know there are four components to active listening? Furthermore, did you know that missing one of the four components means you’re not listening?

“Have you ever noticed how the most intriguing individual in the room seems content to listen sooner than speak?” ~ Richelle E. Goodrich

Listening used to be an art. Today active listening is a skill that has become a competitive advantage!

In today’s fast-paced, always-on world we have become a generation of distracted people. On top of that, we multitask while multitasking.

This course shows you the 4 Elements to Active Listening using a clever memory device that will help you keep this skill at the top of your mind.

In addition I offer you practical steps and tips to help you change the way people perceive your listening skills.

This fun, fast-moving, information-packed course will move the needle in your business (and personal) relationships!

Listening used to be an art. Now it’s a skill. Don’t be left behind. Stop hearing. Start listening. I’ll see you in class!

All Levels

Time: 30 mins

Udemy Discount

The discount is applied through our link. Open the course from here and Udemy's current promotional price is applied at checkout on most courses, no code to type.

Get the Udemy discount

Some courses are excluded from Udemy's promotions. If the price does not drop, clear your browser cookies and use the button again.

Instructor Details

Everett Bowes

4.5 Rating
51,131 Reviews

PROFESSIONAL: Hi! I’m Everett Bowes, Founder of 22 To Guru. I’m proud to be a Top Instructor on a number of mainstream teaching platforms, with over 85,000 students worldwide, and over 24,000 reviews (and counting)!

I have more than 25 years of experience as a leader in the fields of Brand Strategy, Creative Direction, Marketing, Social Media, Business, Leadership, Communications, and more. This unique combination of professional experience helps me produce impactful, efficient learning modules and resources on a number of different topics.

TEACHING: My teaching style is very conversational and approachable. I avoid using technical-jargon and buzzwords that make other teachers feel self-important while running the risk of confusing their students. I tend to speak relatively quickly, but that’s because I want to maximize the time my students are investing in their learning. I also like to use unique analogies, metaphors, and stories to underscore key learning points, and to help students recall and apply the learning to their everyday life.

PERSONAL: When I’m not working I enjoy running, exploring mountains & trails, traveling with my family, and doing just about anything at the ocean. I also like reading, listening to music, watching movies, and exploring technology.

Intro to Branding (2018)
4.4 (4,425 Reviews)

- Provider: Udemy
- Time: 48 mins

$59.99

How To Build A Brand On Social Media! (2020)
4.0 (4,071 Reviews)

- Provider: Udemy
- Time: 1.8h

$14.99

All courses by Everett Bowes

More Communication Skills courses

Managing Different Personality Types: Influencing (2025)
4.8 (1,131 Reviews)

- Provider: Udemy
- Time: 3h

$64.99

Communication in Management & Leadership: Complete Guide (2025)
4.8 (223 Reviews)

- Provider: Udemy
- Time: 3.2h

$11.99

Writing With Confidence: Writing Beginner To Writing Pro (2026)
4.7 (8,777 Reviews)

- Provider: Udemy
- Time: 5.8h

$22.99

Digital Diversity/Cyber-Citizen/Cross-Cultural Communication (2023)
4.7 (8,427 Reviews)

- Provider: Udemy
- Time: 2h

$11.99

Public Speaking and Presentations Pro: No Beginners Allowed! (2025)
4.7 (8,245 Reviews)

- Provider: Udemy
- Time: 4.4h

$22.99

Leadership Through The Art Of Masterful Communication (2018)
4.7 (4,359 Reviews)

- Provider: Udemy
- Time: 1.8h

$11.99

All Communication Skills courses

Reviews

4.5

51,131 ratings on Udemy

Select a bar to show only those reviews.Select the bar again to show every rating.

Write a review

By Ganesh Waghmare on 7/10/2026

The training helped me understand the importance of paying full attention, asking clarifying questions, and responding effectively during conversations. The real-life examples and exercises made the concepts easy to understand and implement. his course has improved my communication skills and enhanced my ability to build stronger relationships with colleagues and stakeholders.I am now more conscious of listening to understand rather than listening to respond, which has positively impacted my professional interactions.

By Ash ly on 5/21/2026

It was short but filled with content and important thinks to understand. I was never someone, who had issues to listen to someone. But now I better understand, why people always choose me to be listened...Thanks

By Aleksandra Tomczak-Żmuda on 5/12/2026

A very well‑recorded course with clear explanations and strong, memorable quotes. The content is concise and easy to follow. I would have appreciated more real‑life use cases to better connect the concepts with everyday work situations, but overall it’s a solid and valuable introduction to Active Listening.

By JULIANNE FERREIRA on 5/4/2026

A good course my job involves active listening but with no vision so good to get some other ideas about listening when there is no eye contact possible

By Aimee Amaltov on 4/20/2026

I thought this course is very relevant as I am a multitasker and I agree it annoys people when they think you are not listening and hearing. So very relevant to me.

By Gwynita Jones on 4/14/2026

My main take away is be an aggressive listener, we often think that listening is passive, but when we frame it this way...actions have to take place. Love the reminder.

By Uchenna Michael Maduka on 4/12/2026

Striaght to the point! no fluff! every tip and best practice shared are practical and can be put to good use immediately. As a sales and customer succcess specialist, I'll keep refering to this course to reinforce my listening skills. Stay awesome!

By Anonymized User on 4/7/2026

Great content! Specially because I had a GF who always told me that I wasn't listen to her or something like that. This course have been such a great tool back then.

By Jon Hayek on 3/16/2026

The training was very informative. Knowing that there are many different aspects to making a great active listener is very interesting. I appreciate the information given and hope to use it with my coworkers in the future. I did find that some of the resources were not accessible when I tried to open them.

By BIANCA BOZDOG on 2/25/2026

Thank you for the interesting approach - story telling near Chinese image of listening. Great training material, crisp, easy to be understood. The quotes were well selected and supported consistently the training content. One thing to be improved: the speaking peace tends to force non-native English speakers to focus on hearing the words and give no time for content absorption or real understanding. Slow down: adding 5 mins at training duration will make a real difference. Thank you for what I have learned from you.

By Carmen Vargas on 11/8/2020