The Science of Conversation: How To Say What You Mean, Be Heard, and Stop People-Pleasing | Alison Wood Brooks

545 snips

Aug 25, 2025

Alison Wood Brooks, a Harvard Business School professor and author of 'TALK: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves', shares her insights into the art of conversation. She explains that conversation is a trainable skill, not just an innate talent, and offers practical strategies like 'topic chunking' to enhance communication. Brooks emphasizes the importance of active listening, kindness, and humor, while discussing the evolving value of soft skills in an AI-driven world. Her engaging tips promise to transform how we connect.

Ask episode

AI Snips

Chapters

Books

Transcript

Episode notes

INSIGHT

Conversation Is A Teachable Skill

Conversation is the main currency of human affairs and yet we are rarely taught how to do it well.
Treat conversation as a trainable skill, not an innate talent, to improve relationships and outcomes.

INSIGHT

Soft Skills Outshine AI

AI can mimic conversation patterns but struggles with relational soft skills like humor and prioritizing others.
Human conversational strength will grow more valuable as technical tasks become automated.

ADVICE

Apply The TALK Framework

Use the TALK framework: Topics, Asking, Levity, Kindness as a compact guide for conversations.
Apply each pillar deliberately to plan and repair conversational moments.

Get the Snipd Podcast app to discover more snips from this episode

Get the app

You talk all day. Here's how to do it better, according to a professor from Harvard Business School.

Alison Wood Brooks comes from the Harvard Business School, where she teaches a course called "TALK: How to Talk Gooder in Business and Life," which she has now turned into a book, called TALK: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves.

In this episode we talk about:

The evolution of conversation
Why conversation is a skill — not just a natural talent
How to develop conversational skills, including common conversational pitfalls to avoid
Granular, tactical pieces of advice on how to have a conversation
The science behind conversation that may surprise you
Listening tips
Conversational repair strategies
How kindness can go pear shaped
How to handle difficult moments in conversation
The difference between focusing on other people and people pleasing
How to integrate these incredible learnings into your life
How soft skills are becoming increasingly more valuable with the rise of AI

Join Dan's online community here

Follow Dan on social: Instagram, TikTok

Subscribe to our YouTube Channel

Additional Resources:

Alison's band, The Lights

On Sunday, September 21st from 1-5pm ET, join Dan and Leslie Booker at the New York Insight Meditation Center in NYC as they lead a workshop titled, "Heavily Meditated – The Dharma of Depression + Anxiety." This event is both in-person and online. Sign up here!

Get ready for another Meditation Party at Omega Institute! This in-person workshop brings together Dan with his friends and meditation teachers, Sebene Selassie, Jeff Warren, and for the first time, Ofosu Jones-Quartey. The event runs October 24th-26th. Sign up and learn more at eomega.org/workshops/meditation-party-2025.

To advertise on the show, contact sales@advertisecast.com or visit https://advertising.libsyn.com/10HappierwithDanHarris

Sponsors:

Function Health: Learn more and join using our link. Visit www.functionhealth.com/HAPPIER to own your health.

Factor Meals: Eat smart at FactorMeals.com/TENPERCENT50OFF and use code TENPERCENT50OFF to get 50% off your first box, plus free breakfast for 1 year.

AT&T: Staying connected matters. That's why AT&T has connectivity you can depend on, or they will proactively make it right. Visit att.com/guarantee for details.