Marketers with ADHD are great at many things: creativity, rapid idea generation, spotting trends before anyone else. Listening? Eh… not so much.
If you’ve ever nodded enthusiastically through a client meeting while secretly thinking about whether you left the oven on, you know the struggle. ADHD brains are built to chase shiny ideas, not sit calmly absorbing someone’s 47-slide PowerPoint.
But here’s the kicker: marketing is built on communication. And communication involves — annoyingly — listening. If you can’t listen effectively, you’ll miss client goals, confuse campaign details, and possibly promise a TikTok strategy when the client only wanted a newsletter.
So let’s talk ADHD-friendly listening techniques. Don’t worry, they don’t involve becoming a saint. They involve tricks, sarcasm, and the occasional fidget toy.
Why Listening Is Hard With ADHD
Listening sounds simple. Words go in your ears, you understand them, life continues. But ADHD brains add extra chaos to the mix:
- Distractibility: Mid-sentence, you’re wondering if anyone else hears that buzzing light overhead.
- Impulsivity: You interrupt because you’ve had a brilliant idea that cannot wait (spoiler: it can).
- Working memory issues: You remember the first half of what was said… but the second half is gone forever.
- Boredom intolerance: If the conversation drags, your brain exits stage left without telling you.
Not ideal for marketers who need to catch every nuance of a client brief.
ADHD-Friendly Listening Hacks
1. Take Notes Like a Court Reporter
If you’re not writing, you’re probably daydreaming. Notes keep your brain tethered to the conversation.
Tip: don’t write verbatim. Use bullet points, doodles, or even half-sentences. Your brain only needs anchors to pull the memory back later.
2. Repeat It Back (Without Sounding Like a Robot)
Clients love hearing you summarise what they just said. “So what I’m hearing is, you want more focus on Instagram Reels than email campaigns, right?”
It makes them feel understood, and it makes you look like you were listening instead of planning your post-meeting snack. Win-win.
3. Use Fidget Tools (Stealth Mode)
Fidgeting helps ADHD brains listen. The trick? Choose fidgets that don’t make you look like a distracted toddler. Pen clicking = no. Small stress ball under the desk = yes.
If anyone asks why you’re kneading putty during their presentation, just say it’s your “neurodivergent engagement strategy.” Sounds impressive.
4. Ask Questions (Even Obvious Ones)
Asking questions forces your brain to stay engaged. Even “So just to clarify, you want this by Friday?” keeps you from drifting into a fantasy about moving to Bali.
Pro tip: clients often love repeating themselves. Use this to your advantage.
5. Set Meeting Traps for Yourself
If it’s an important call, prep questions in advance. Write them down. Otherwise, ADHD listening = nodding, forgetting, and later panicking when you realise you have no idea what the deliverables are.
6. Use Visual Anchors
If you’re a visual learner (many ADHDers are), ask for visuals during meetings: charts, mockups, screenshots. It’s easier to remember “that blue graph” than “the third bullet on slide 12.”
7. Chunk Conversations
Long-winded explanations are kryptonite. Break them into chunks:
- Listen for one key point.
- Note it down.
- Reset your focus.
Rinse and repeat. You don’t need to remember everything at once — just one chunk at a time.
8. Strategic Recordings
If the client allows it, record the meeting. That way, if your brain decides to tap out halfway through, you’ve got a backup.
Just don’t use it as an excuse to zone out entirely. Future-you will hate having to replay a one-hour monologue about SEO.
9. Clarify Deadlines (Twice)
ADHD brains are notorious for hearing “Wednesday” and assuming it means “Friday.” Always repeat deadlines back. Twice. Maybe in writing. Tattoo it if necessary.
10. Accept Imperfection
You’re going to miss details. You’re going to zone out sometimes. The trick isn’t being perfect, it’s catching yourself, recovering quickly, and building systems that save you from total disaster.
Real-World ADHD Marketing Listening Scenarios
- Scenario 1: Client says, “We want to shift budget to TikTok.” Your brain hears: “TikTok” and then spends 15 minutes imagining viral dances. You miss the actual budget details.
- Scenario 2: You take notes, repeat it back: “So, shifting £2,000 from Facebook to TikTok this quarter?” Client nods. Done. No disasters.
See? Same meeting, different outcome.
The Sarcastic Reality Check
Let’s be honest: you will never be the perfect attentive listener. You’re not going to sit zen-like through a two-hour meeting about SEO metadata without your brain wandering. That’s fine.
But if you can:
Capture the key points, confirm deadlines, and void promising things you didn’t actually hear,
…you’re already winning.
Effective listening for ADHD marketers isn’t about becoming a saint. It’s about creating sneaky systems that make people think you’re a saint while your brain does cartwheels in the background.
Quick Cheatsheet: ADHD Listening Survival
- Notes or it didn’t happen.
- Repeat it back (like a pro, not a parrot).
- Fidgets save lives.
- Questions = engagement.
- Deadlines must be clarified twice.
- Record if possible.
Listening is marketing’s unsexy superpower. It’s not as glamorous as creating viral ads or writing killer copy, but it’s the foundation for all of it. For marketers with ADHD, the goal isn’t flawless listening — it’s functional listening.
So grab a notebook, prep a fidget toy, and remember: the client doesn’t need you to hear everything. They just need you to hear the right things. And with the right hacks, you’ll nail it — distractions and all.
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