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Talk

The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves

Author Alison Wood Brooks
Hardcover
$30.00 US
Crown
6-1/8"W x 9-1/4"H | 19 oz | 12 per carton
On sale Jan 21, 2025 | 336 Pages | 9780593443491
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A groundbreaking book that reveals the hidden architecture of our conversations and how even small improvements can have a profound impact on our relationships in work and life—from a celebrated Harvard Business School professor and leading expert on the psychology of conversation.

“Alison Wood Brooks brings to life the science of conversation, in which she is a world expert, with the utmost warmth, empathy, and joy.”—Angela Duckworth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Grit

All of us can struggle with difficult conversations, but we’re often not very good at the easy ones either. Though we do it all the time, Harvard professor Alison Wood Brooks argues that conversation is one of the most complex, demanding, and delicate of all human tasks, rife with possibilities for misinterpretation and misunderstanding. And yet conversations can also be a source of great joy, each one offering an opportunity to express who we are and learn who others are—to feel connected, loved, and alive.

In Talk, Brooks shows why conversing a little more effectively can make a big difference in the quality of our close personal relationships as well as our professional success. Drawing on the new science of conversation, Brooks distills lessons that show how we can better understand, learn from, and delight each other. The key is her TALK Maxims:

Topics: Choose topics and manage them well
Asking: Ask more questions
Levity: Use humor to keep conversations fizzy
Kindness: Prioritize their partners conversational needs

Through experiments ranging across the conversational spectrum—from speed daters who ask too few questions (or too many), to future business leaders averse to topic forethought, to traffic stops that reveal the essence of kind language—Brooks takes us inside the world of conversation, giving us the confidence and the advice to approach any interaction with more creativity and compassion.

Addressing our face-to-face conversations as well as those we have by phone, email, text, and social media, Talk is a thoughtful guide for anyone seeking to better establish and sustain their relationships. From managing our emotions and sparking creativity to navigating conflict and being more inclusive, the right conversation skills just might be the key to leading a more purposeful life.
“Reading Talk is like having a conversation with the world’s best conversationalist. Alison Wood Brooks brings to life the science of conversation, in which she is a world expert, with the utmost warmth, empathy, and joy. . . . This book has raised my game as a conversationalist. I’m recommending it to everyone I know.”—Angela Duckworth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Grit

“Talk is that rarest of treats: smart, insightful, immediately useful, and way more fun to read than should be allowed. . . . This book gave us fresh ideas that we put into practice immediately on friends, family, clients, and colleagues. Talk has changed how we think about what it means for two people to really talk to each other.”—Sheila Heen and Doug Stone, bestselling co-authors of Difficult Conversations

“For many, one of the lost arts in modern life is conversation. Alison Wood Brooks’s wonderful new book, Talk, has the solution. Read this book, and your life will improve.”—Arthur C. Brooks, Harvard professor and #1 New York Times bestselling author

“A cogent, sparkling, and spectacularly useful guide to getting better at the most important skill you possess. Alison Wood Brooks delivers a treasure trove of insights, practical tools, and proven models that will help you become a better leader, spouse, parent, teammate, neighbor, and friend. A must-read.”—Daniel Coyle, bestselling author of The Talent Code and The Culture Code

“In Talk, Alison Wood Brooks, one of the superstars of behavioral science, teaches us how to have more productive, engaging, and humane conversations. Witty, science-driven and filled with compelling insights and stories, Talk is a modern classic.”—Ethan Kross, bestselling author of Chatter

“Chock full of research, anecdotes, examples, and advice . . . Brooks reveals the secrets to being heard, listening better, avoiding awkward small talk, and getting along. If you’ve ever opened your mouth to say something, this is the book for you.”—Bianca Bosker, bestselling author of Get the Picture

“A rigorously researched, evidence-based book by a leader in the field. On top of this, it’s a joy to read—a killer combination.”—Emily Oster, bestselling author of Expecting Better and Cribsheet

“Compiling valuable data from speed-dating sessions, sales calls, and parole hearings, the author builds a convincing case for practicing and better understanding the elements that shape good conversation. Lucid and pragmatic, Talk unlocks some of the mysteries of human communication.”—Publishers Weekly
Dr. Alison Wood Brooks is the O’Brien Associate Professor of Business Administration and Hellman Faculty Fellow at the Harvard Business School. She studies the behavioral science of conversation, teaches an award-winning course in the MBA curriculum called TALK, and chairs a program for executives called Communicating for Impact. She was named a Best 40 Under 40 Business School Professor by Poets & Quants. View titles by Alison Wood Brooks

About

A groundbreaking book that reveals the hidden architecture of our conversations and how even small improvements can have a profound impact on our relationships in work and life—from a celebrated Harvard Business School professor and leading expert on the psychology of conversation.

“Alison Wood Brooks brings to life the science of conversation, in which she is a world expert, with the utmost warmth, empathy, and joy.”—Angela Duckworth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Grit

All of us can struggle with difficult conversations, but we’re often not very good at the easy ones either. Though we do it all the time, Harvard professor Alison Wood Brooks argues that conversation is one of the most complex, demanding, and delicate of all human tasks, rife with possibilities for misinterpretation and misunderstanding. And yet conversations can also be a source of great joy, each one offering an opportunity to express who we are and learn who others are—to feel connected, loved, and alive.

In Talk, Brooks shows why conversing a little more effectively can make a big difference in the quality of our close personal relationships as well as our professional success. Drawing on the new science of conversation, Brooks distills lessons that show how we can better understand, learn from, and delight each other. The key is her TALK Maxims:

Topics: Choose topics and manage them well
Asking: Ask more questions
Levity: Use humor to keep conversations fizzy
Kindness: Prioritize their partners conversational needs

Through experiments ranging across the conversational spectrum—from speed daters who ask too few questions (or too many), to future business leaders averse to topic forethought, to traffic stops that reveal the essence of kind language—Brooks takes us inside the world of conversation, giving us the confidence and the advice to approach any interaction with more creativity and compassion.

Addressing our face-to-face conversations as well as those we have by phone, email, text, and social media, Talk is a thoughtful guide for anyone seeking to better establish and sustain their relationships. From managing our emotions and sparking creativity to navigating conflict and being more inclusive, the right conversation skills just might be the key to leading a more purposeful life.

Praise

“Reading Talk is like having a conversation with the world’s best conversationalist. Alison Wood Brooks brings to life the science of conversation, in which she is a world expert, with the utmost warmth, empathy, and joy. . . . This book has raised my game as a conversationalist. I’m recommending it to everyone I know.”—Angela Duckworth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Grit

“Talk is that rarest of treats: smart, insightful, immediately useful, and way more fun to read than should be allowed. . . . This book gave us fresh ideas that we put into practice immediately on friends, family, clients, and colleagues. Talk has changed how we think about what it means for two people to really talk to each other.”—Sheila Heen and Doug Stone, bestselling co-authors of Difficult Conversations

“For many, one of the lost arts in modern life is conversation. Alison Wood Brooks’s wonderful new book, Talk, has the solution. Read this book, and your life will improve.”—Arthur C. Brooks, Harvard professor and #1 New York Times bestselling author

“A cogent, sparkling, and spectacularly useful guide to getting better at the most important skill you possess. Alison Wood Brooks delivers a treasure trove of insights, practical tools, and proven models that will help you become a better leader, spouse, parent, teammate, neighbor, and friend. A must-read.”—Daniel Coyle, bestselling author of The Talent Code and The Culture Code

“In Talk, Alison Wood Brooks, one of the superstars of behavioral science, teaches us how to have more productive, engaging, and humane conversations. Witty, science-driven and filled with compelling insights and stories, Talk is a modern classic.”—Ethan Kross, bestselling author of Chatter

“Chock full of research, anecdotes, examples, and advice . . . Brooks reveals the secrets to being heard, listening better, avoiding awkward small talk, and getting along. If you’ve ever opened your mouth to say something, this is the book for you.”—Bianca Bosker, bestselling author of Get the Picture

“A rigorously researched, evidence-based book by a leader in the field. On top of this, it’s a joy to read—a killer combination.”—Emily Oster, bestselling author of Expecting Better and Cribsheet

“Compiling valuable data from speed-dating sessions, sales calls, and parole hearings, the author builds a convincing case for practicing and better understanding the elements that shape good conversation. Lucid and pragmatic, Talk unlocks some of the mysteries of human communication.”—Publishers Weekly

Author

Dr. Alison Wood Brooks is the O’Brien Associate Professor of Business Administration and Hellman Faculty Fellow at the Harvard Business School. She studies the behavioral science of conversation, teaches an award-winning course in the MBA curriculum called TALK, and chairs a program for executives called Communicating for Impact. She was named a Best 40 Under 40 Business School Professor by Poets & Quants. View titles by Alison Wood Brooks
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