Talk

We think we struggle with difficult conversations, but we’re often not very good at easy conversations either. Though we do it all the time, Harvard Professor Alison Wood Brooks argües that conversation is one of the most complex and delicate of all human tasks, rife with the possibility of misinterpretation or misunderstanding. And yet conversations can also be a source of great joy, making us 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: TO PICS: Choose topics and manage them well. A S KIN G: Ask more, and better, questions. LEVITY: Use humor and warmth to keep conversations fizzy and engaging. KIN D N E S S: Try to prioritize your partner’s 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-Brooks takes us inside the worid of conversation, giving us the confidence and the advice to approach any interaction with more creativity and compassion.