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Alison Wood Brooks

Even small improvements in our conversations at work—how we talk and listen to others—can have a profound impact on our success.

Harvard Business School Behavioral Science Professor | "40 Under 40 MBA Professor" | Author of TALK: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves

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Can One Magical Type of Question Make People Like You? (1:59)

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Want to Have Better Conversations? Switch Topics Often (2:28)

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Here’s How NOT to Respond in a Conversation (1:44)

Lavin Exclusive Speaker

At work, difficult conversations can trip us up. But easy ones can, too. This matters—and it matters a lot—because conversation is vital to the success of every great organization. It’s the key to fostering a culture where employees listen better, feel heard, ask more generative questions, are emboldened to collaborate and surface new ideas. But conversation can be surprisingly tricky to do, especially for leaders. In her fascinating and spirited keynotes, celebrated Harvard Business School professor Alison Wood Brooks delves into her groundbreaking research on the new science of conversation. From giving feedback to negotiating to mastering small talk to building trust and relationships, she helps you bring your best self to every conversation.

At Harvard Business School, Alison Wood Brooks is the O’Brien Associate Professor of Business Administration and Hellman Faculty Fellow. Prof. Brooks’s class, “TALK: How to Talk Gooder in Business and Life,” is one of the most popular electives at HBS, with a waitlist of eager participants (from inside and outside Harvard) that she cannot accommodate. Her 2025 book, TALK, packed with immediately useful insights, is a refreshing and accessible look at how understanding the science of conversations helps you master the art of being yourself. “Read this book,” writes Arthur C. Brooks, the #1 bestselling author and happiness expert, “and your life will improve.”

Alison Wood Brooks is a recipient of Harvard’s Wyss Award, for Excellence in Mentoring, and has been named to the Poets & Quants list of Best 40-Under-40 Business School Professors. Her research on the science of conversation has been published in academic journals as well as popular media outlets such as The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times. Brooks holds a Ph.D. in Decision Processes from Wharton and a bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Finance from Princeton.

Speech Topics

Leadership
TALK: The New Science of Conversation at Work

When talking to someone at work, whether in a casual conversation or a high-stress negotiation, is it possible to ask too many questions? Or too few? Conversations—good conversations—can unlock so much potential in any organization. They can lead to better understanding, tighter teams, more empathic leaders. Conversation is essential to success. So why is it so hard to do right? Drawing on her years of groundbreaking research, Alison Wood Brooks takes us inside the science of conversation, giving you the confidence and the advice to approach any interaction with more creativity and compassion. With clarity and humor, she uses her TALK framework to examine the hidden moments and micro-decisions that drive everything from sales calls to doctor-patient discussions to speed dates to team meetings. This keynote will utterly transform the way you view face-to-face conversations as well as those you have by phone, email, text, and social media. It’s a masterful talk, with instant universal appeal, for any group seeking to better understand how we think, feel, and act at work.

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Psychology
TALK: Bringing Our Best Selves to Every Conversation

No matter the level of our conversational competence or confidence, we all put pressure on ourselves for our conversations to go well, with a sense of personal failure when they don’t. It’s not just that we are struggling to navigate difficult conversations, or that our social skills have begun to atrophy thanks to technology and remote work and learning. Even in easy conversations, we are missing abundant opportunities to connect—to be known, heard, delighted, and loved, and to do the same for others. In this insightful keynote, immediately useful for any organization or group, Alison Wood Brooks takes you inside the science of conversation. Sparking creativity, navigating conflict, helping us be more inclusive, the right conversation skills just might be the key to leading a more purposeful life.

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Featured Books

Talk
The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves

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