717: A Key Tactic for Way Better Conversations, with Alison Wood Brooks
Coaching for Leaders27 Jan 2025

717: A Key Tactic for Way Better Conversations, with Alison Wood Brooks

Alison Wood Brooks: Talk

Alison Wood Brooks is the O’Brien Associate Professor of Business Administration and Hellman Faculty Fellow at the Harvard Business School, where she created and teaches a course called TALK. As a behavioral scientist, she is a leading expert on the science of conversation and her research was referenced in two of the top ten most-viewed TED talks and depicted in Pixar’s Inside Out 2. She is the author of Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves*.

Conversations are the venues where leaders do so much of their work. We all know someone who always can keep a conversation interesting and relevant. In this episode, Alison and I discuss how a key tactic can help you towards more meaningful conversations.

Key Points
  • Healthy relationships are critical for success, and relationships are about talking.
  • Good conversation is both instinct and deliberate effort. Preparing topics in advance improves conversation immensely.
  • Topics for conversation can be sourced from almost anywhere and help even if we don’t use those topics.
  • Good topic management is more important than the right topic. The best conversationalists know when to shift.
  • Small talk in an essential exploration ground for getting to bigger, more meaningful conversation.
Resources Mentioned Interview Notes

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