The Strategy Skills Podcast: Strategy | Leadership | Critical Thinking | Problem-Solving

520: A Harvard Expert’s Guide to Mastering Conversations

Jan 22, 2025

In this engaging discussion, Alison Wood Brooks, an Associate Professor at Harvard Business School and author of 'Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves,' shares insights into the art of conversation. She introduces the 'topic pyramid,' emphasizing the importance of small talk, tailored talk, and deep talk. Listeners learn strategies for navigating difficult conversations, like acknowledgment and empathy. Alison explains how mastering conversational skills enhances personal relationships and professional success, making every dialogue count.

51:22

Creator website

Episode guests

Alison Wood Brooks

AI Summary

AI Chapters

Episode notes

Podcast summary created with Snipd AI

Quick takeaways

Mastering conversations requires structured approaches, such as the topic pyramid, to enhance engagement and deepen relationships.

Recognizing conversations as coordination puzzles emphasizes the importance of strategic preparation and cognitive offloading for effective communication.

Deep dives

The Importance of Conversation Skills

Conversations require more than basic exchanges; they involve complex decision-making and coordination between participants. The guest, an associate professor, underscores the significance of understanding conversations as a critical social skill that can be systematically studied and improved. With her extensive experience at Harvard, she developed a course aimed at enhancing students' communication abilities, revealing that even mundane interactions can become challenging when unexpected topics arise. This highlights the need for structured approaches to conversation in both personal and professional contexts.

Intro

2min

Harvard Insights: Transforming Conversations into Skills

5min

Understanding Conversation as a Coordination Challenge

5min

Enhancing Conversations Through Preparation

14min

Mastering Difficult Conversations

23min

Enhancing Conversations and Strategy Skills

2min

Welcome to Strategy Skills episode 520, an interview with the author of TALK: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves, Alison Wood Brooks.

In this episode, Alison shares how her experiences at Harvard shaped her understanding of one of the most critical skills for anyone in any industry: conversation. She introduces the concept of the “topic pyramid”, which includes small talk, tailored talk, and deep talk, and shares strategies for handling difficult conversations, such as using acknowledgment, affirmation, and hedging language. Alison shows why conversing more effectively can make a big difference in the quality of our close personal relationships and our professional success.

Alison Wood Brooks is an Associate Professor at the Harvard Business School. She created and teaches a cutting-edge course to MBA students and executives.

Get Alison’s new book here: https://shorturl.at/WS7i1

Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves

Here are some free gifts for you:

Overall Approach Used in Well-Managed Strategy Studies free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/OverallApproach

McKinsey & BCG winning resume free download: www.firmsconsulting.com/resumepdf

Enjoying this episode? Get access to sample advanced training episodes here: www.firmsconsulting.com/promo

Get the Snipd
podcast app

Unlock the knowledge in podcasts with the podcast player of the future.

AI-powered
podcast player

Listen to all your favourite podcasts with AI-powered features

Discover
highlights

Listen to the best highlights from the podcasts you love and dive into the full episode

Save any
moment

Hear something you like? Tap your headphones to save it with AI-generated key takeaways

Share
& Export

Send highlights to Twitter, WhatsApp or export them to Notion, Readwise & more