The priceless tool you deploy when you can’t read

Early in my career, I dreaded piles of unread papers waiting after a long day. My dyslexia made reading a torture—words looked blurry, indices meaningless. So I started listening instead. Every report I needed, I had converted to audio. At first, I’d miss a point or two. But then I got disciplined: I’d pause every five minutes and silently summarize what I’d just heard. I even used a slow-play feature to catch every nuance. Soon, I was retaining more data than ever before, and best of all, my brain was fresh, not fried from squinting.

That listening habit became a superpower. When new research dropped, I’d skip the PDF and grab the podcast interview. Clients would hand me whitepapers, I’d push them to send audio versions—and they did! Regions, accents, inflections—all that color is lost in print, but comes alive in speech. Haruki Murakami once said listening is an “unfiltered” gateway to understanding; I found that truer than I could have imagined.

The lesson is clear: when reading is a hurdle, expertise can be built on your ears. Turn barriers into advantages by practicing active listening and self-testing. You’d be amazed at how quickly your auditory recall can outpace your reading speed.

Next time you face a report or transcript, hit play instead of open. After two or three minutes, pause and silently summarize what you just heard. If you miss something, rewind and listen again at 75% speed. Note your discoveries in a voice memo or notebook—two bullet points per segment. Then bring that sharpened recall to your next meeting, resisting the urge to read directly. You’ll find your ears are your best reading tool—give them a chance this week.