Individual reading conferences with students are an integral part of the reader's workshop format. Conferring provides the opportunity for students to reveal their thinking and reading processes to the teacher. However, to gain an in‐depth understanding of students, teachers need to focus more on what the student can teach them during the conference rather than how much the teacher can teach the student. The two reading conferences featured in this article illustrate how one teacher evolved from a teacher‐centered instructional style during conferences to a student‐centered style that encouraged the creation of a shared understanding of the student. In simple terms, the teacher learned that by talking less and listening more, she was able to gain deeper insight into her student's learning needs and strengths.