Discover my research-based framework to help you navigate the messy, beautiful layers of everyday conversation with more confidence, curiosity, and courage.
TRY IT OUT
The TALK Quiz
Discover your natural conversation habits and the simple secrets to improve them for better conversations. Using five common conversation scenarios that make most of us a little sweaty, I’ll show you how to keep a conversation alive (and not make it too weird).
Boost your conversation confidence in just five minutes.
AVAILABLE NOW
TALK: The science of conversation and the art of being ourselves
Talk teaches us how to better understand, learn from, and delight one another through our everyday interactions. Filled with relatable stories and surprising insights, this practical, research-backed framework will change how you approach every conversation.
Good conversation is the key to getting what you want in life.
Every meaningful relationship, career opportunity, and moment of connection starts with a conversation. Yet most of us are winging it and missing so many valuable opportunities to advance the things that matter most.
Conversation is a surprisingly complicated coordination game, where even the best communicators stumble. As complex as they can be, the solutions are surprisingly easy.
The new science of conversation reveals that most of us can improve how we interact with others with a simple set of skills. There is hope!
The TALK framework gives you straightforward, research-backed strategies to enjoy your everyday conversations again. You’ll stop replaying your word fumbles at 3 am and start making small shifts that build stronger relationships, boost your career, and help you feel more seen and understood—at work, home, and everywhere in between.
PROFESSOR | SCIENTIST | AUTHOR | LEADER
About Alison Wood Brooks
Hi, I’m Alison Wood Brooks
I’m a professor at Harvard Business School on a mission to preserve and strengthen the core human skill that connects us all: conversation.
My greatest research discovery is that most of us are really bad at conversation (no, really, it’s a total train wreck), and there has been very little guidance to offer for improvement.
That’s why I’ve focused my work on uncovering the psychology behind our everyday conversations—from managing what to talk about, asking better questions, creating levity, and expressing good listening.
My goal is to help you transform your conversations so you can build deeper connections, navigate difficult moments with confidence, and bring out the best in yourself and others. (While having a little fun along the way!)
The frameworks and insights I share are about staying connected to one another in a world that’s making it easier than ever to opt out of real human interaction.
Media
Check out Alison’s latest press mentions, guest appearances, podcasts, videos (and more!) as she models exceptional question asking and listening. Watch or listen to the TALK framework in action and discover how you can apply these same techniques in your own conversations.
Press
25 Questions to Bring You...
Articles
How to Get Better at...
Podcasts
Better Conversations – One Question...
RESEARCH
Examining how people think, feel, and interact
Alison’s research examines the psychology of conversation using experimental and computational methods across a wide range of contexts and populations—from speed dates and sales calls to parole hearings and board meetings. Her work provides evidence-based strategies for navigating everything from small talk to dominated conversations. Let’s nerd out together on what works (and what doesn’t) in our everyday conversations.
Research Articles
Research in Progress
Course Materials
GET YOUR FREE TALK WORKBOOK
Ready to put the science of conversation into practice?
Sign up to get access to the TALK Workbook, a free companion to the TALK book. It includes hundreds of topics and exercises designed to help you reflect on your conversations and practice new skills with friends and colleagues.
Plus, join the email list for occasional updates from Alison. (You’ll only get the good stuff!)