What do you think?
Rate this book
Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves
A groundbreaking book that reveals the hidden architecture of our conversations and how even small improvements can have a profound impact on our relationships in work and life—from a celebrated Harvard Business School professor and leading expert on the psychology of conversation.
“Alison Wood Brooks brings to life the science of conversation, in which she is a world expert, with the utmost warmth, empathy, and joy.”—Angela Duckworth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Grit
All of us can struggle with difficult conversations, but we’re often not very good at the easy ones either. Though we do it all the time, Harvard professor Alison Wood Brooks argues that conversation is one of the most complex, demanding, and delicate of all human tasks, rife with possibilities for misinterpretation and misunderstanding. And yet conversations can also be a source of great joy, each one offering an opportunity to express who we are and learn who others are—to 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
T Choose topics and manage them well
A Ask more questions
L Use humor to keep conversations fizzy
K Prioritize their partners 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, to traffic stops that reveal the essence of kind language—Brooks takes us inside the world of conversation, giving us the confidence and the advice to approach any interaction with more creativity and compassion.
Addressing our face-to-face conversations as well as those we have by phone, email, text, and social media, Talk is a thoughtful guide for anyone seeking to better establish and sustain their relationships. From managing our emotions and sparking creativity to navigating conflict and being more inclusive, the right conversation skills just might be the key to leading a more purposeful life.
* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF containing visual supplements and the Appendix, from the printed book.
“Alison Wood Brooks brings to life the science of conversation, in which she is a world expert, with the utmost warmth, empathy, and joy.”—Angela Duckworth, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Grit
All of us can struggle with difficult conversations, but we’re often not very good at the easy ones either. Though we do it all the time, Harvard professor Alison Wood Brooks argues that conversation is one of the most complex, demanding, and delicate of all human tasks, rife with possibilities for misinterpretation and misunderstanding. And yet conversations can also be a source of great joy, each one offering an opportunity to express who we are and learn who others are—to 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
T Choose topics and manage them well
A Ask more questions
L Use humor to keep conversations fizzy
K Prioritize their partners 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, to traffic stops that reveal the essence of kind language—Brooks takes us inside the world of conversation, giving us the confidence and the advice to approach any interaction with more creativity and compassion.
Addressing our face-to-face conversations as well as those we have by phone, email, text, and social media, Talk is a thoughtful guide for anyone seeking to better establish and sustain their relationships. From managing our emotions and sparking creativity to navigating conflict and being more inclusive, the right conversation skills just might be the key to leading a more purposeful life.
* This audiobook edition includes a downloadable PDF containing visual supplements and the Appendix, from the printed book.
11 pages, Audible Audio
Published January 21, 2025
1308 people are currently reading
14516 people want to read
About the author
Alison Wood Brooks
8 books91 followersAlison Wood Brooks is the O’Brien Associate Professor of Business Administration and Hellman Faculty Fellow at the Harvard Business School. She studies the behavioral science of conversation, teaches an award-winning course in the MBA curriculum called TALK, and chairs a program for executives called Communicating for Impact. She was named a Best 40 Under 40 Business School Professor by Poets & Quants.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews
January 10, 2025
one of those books where I feel like I already intuitively knew most of it, but having it spelled out in plain language is helpful!
April 28, 2025
Alison Wood Brooks is an associate professor at Harvard Business School and researches and teaches on the topic of effective communication. In her 2025 book Talk, she incorporates research findings (her own and that of others) as well as lessons she's learned from teaching a business school class on communicating well into book form for a general audience.
As someone who reads a lot in this genre, I will say there were a few unique elements of Talk, such as:
- the focus on pre-planning conversation topics, either in general or for specific conversations (she mentioned many people find this idea awkward at first, but effective in practice)
- the insights that can be gleaned from recording (audio +/- video) conversations (with permission) and analyzing them afterwards (something she's done in her research as well as a project she assigns to her business school students) -- an interesting insight Brooks shared here is that she is an identical twin and has had many moments of insight about her own communication style by watching her twin sister interact with others
- the suggestion to join groups of two chatting at parties rather than to remain on your own or hope to get approached by another solo partygoer (I still think this is generally gauche, as it happens to me a lot in social settings when chatting with someone one-on-one and very much annoys me, though my conversation partners are usually fine with it -- maybe that belies a lack of engaging conversation skills on my part)
Much of the other writing in this book is generally common sense (i.e., don't make the conversation entirely about you, ask questions to show interest and curiosity, read your partner's body language to sense when they've lost interest in a topic). The focus of this book also jumps around quite a bit -- some parts center on how to be engaging at small talk and casual conversation, while other parts suggest ways of building strong and deep social connections -- and I did not find the TALK mnemonic particularly useful (it felt very shoehorned and unnatural).
Overall, a decent debut in a very oversaturated field; I'd recommend it for folks looking for how to be more engaging conversationalists in low-stakes settings, but for readers looking for advice on how to have meaningful and relationship-deepening conversations, I'd recommend fellow business school professors David Bradford and Carole Robin's recent book Connect: Building Exceptional Relationships with Family, Friends, and Colleagues (see my review here).
My statistics:
Book 131 for 2025
Book 2057 cumulatively
As someone who reads a lot in this genre, I will say there were a few unique elements of Talk, such as:
- the focus on pre-planning conversation topics, either in general or for specific conversations (she mentioned many people find this idea awkward at first, but effective in practice)
- the insights that can be gleaned from recording (audio +/- video) conversations (with permission) and analyzing them afterwards (something she's done in her research as well as a project she assigns to her business school students) -- an interesting insight Brooks shared here is that she is an identical twin and has had many moments of insight about her own communication style by watching her twin sister interact with others
- the suggestion to join groups of two chatting at parties rather than to remain on your own or hope to get approached by another solo partygoer (I still think this is generally gauche, as it happens to me a lot in social settings when chatting with someone one-on-one and very much annoys me, though my conversation partners are usually fine with it -- maybe that belies a lack of engaging conversation skills on my part)
Much of the other writing in this book is generally common sense (i.e., don't make the conversation entirely about you, ask questions to show interest and curiosity, read your partner's body language to sense when they've lost interest in a topic). The focus of this book also jumps around quite a bit -- some parts center on how to be engaging at small talk and casual conversation, while other parts suggest ways of building strong and deep social connections -- and I did not find the TALK mnemonic particularly useful (it felt very shoehorned and unnatural).
Overall, a decent debut in a very oversaturated field; I'd recommend it for folks looking for how to be more engaging conversationalists in low-stakes settings, but for readers looking for advice on how to have meaningful and relationship-deepening conversations, I'd recommend fellow business school professors David Bradford and Carole Robin's recent book Connect: Building Exceptional Relationships with Family, Friends, and Colleagues (see my review here).
My statistics:
Book 131 for 2025
Book 2057 cumulatively
October 16, 2024
A fascinating look at the nuances of conversation, the hidden dynamics at play in a duo or a group, and the ways to improve any conversational experience. The book is divided into four main factors: Topics, Asking, Levity, and Kindness (yes, TALK). If you've ever floundered or felt dissatisfied with a conversation's vibe, this book will probably help you to understand why, and even give you some tools to address it, even in small ways. It's realistic and doesn't over-promise, which makes it feel accessible and useful for practically anyone.
Thanks to Crown Publishing and Netgalley for this digital review copy!
Thanks to Crown Publishing and Netgalley for this digital review copy!
November 12, 2024
I won this book in a goodreads drawing.
This is a book that shows you how to to have better conversations in your life. While a lot of the things don't seem to be easy, some are. I think starting will help the most. I got a lot out of this book, at least.
This is a book that shows you how to to have better conversations in your life. While a lot of the things don't seem to be easy, some are. I think starting will help the most. I got a lot out of this book, at least.
December 31, 2025
Loved! Trying to start a work book club with this book
January 4, 2026
Alison Wood Brooks' book, Talk, claims to be about "the science of conversation." That seems a more appropriate title to me, as the book feels clinical. For me the biggest takeaway is to be kinder. Wood Brooks includes a chapter on kindness, and I think most of what she discusses relates back to those observations. She cites and repeatedly references a broadcast conversation between Anderson Cooper and Stephen Colbert. Colbert comforts Cooper following the loss of his mother. Both of them lost close family members as kids, but for Colbert more time has passed. Colbert graciously reassures Cooper. Kindness in conversation can be as simple as telling someone that they have spinach caught in their teeth, yet many people fail to report it. Wood Brooks incorporates relatable personal anecdotes as well as incidents from her research. It's interesting; most of it is review, and you probably already know it intuitively. The appendix lists questions for jump starting conversations.
February 8, 2025
When I was in college, I took a course specifically about English grammar and parts of speech. I’m a native speaker and have always had strong language skills, but it was really fascinating to see things I felt were purely instinctual being sorted, categorized, and laid out into neatly labeled rules. Reading this book really reminded me of that experience.
I’m a consummate and unapologetic chatterbox, so making conversation has always been instinctual (especially when I got old enough to develop self awareness around turn taking and active listening), so while at times some of the points felt a little obvious, on the whole it was just neat to see things that feel natural laid out explicitly and kindly. The author has a very friendly writing style and the research and study results were fascinating.
Personally, I found the group conversation section to be the most interesting and validating. The one type of conversation that I do struggle with is being in a group where the preferred conversation topics and general friendship closeness leave me as a bit of an outsider (my spouse is in a band and it’s just not possible to be as close as everyone else in a group when they live together during tour and you don’t know much about music lmao). Seeing the struggles that I have laid out as a perfectly logical result of the group dynamic didn’t make the problem go away, but it did make me feel a little less self-conscious and I think I will be able to approach those situations with a little bit more confidence and acceptance, especially when I take the time to note how much those relationships have improved naturally over the years as I form my own individual friendships with the members of that group.
A few minor dings did pull me out of the book a couple times. Namely, there’s a very sort of corporate/ self-help styling to the book that was mild enough to not completely poison the waters here, but you can tell that the author spends a lot of time with the sort of business boy crowd and does company workshops. Personally, I found the student sections much more appealing and, luckily, that is the majority of the examples used.
Despite this, there were times when I desperately wanted caveats about workplace appropriate topics that never appeared. She has a whole section detailing how data shows that sensitive questions are often received better than the question-asker assumes, but no follow-up about how a research study doesn’t duplicate the power dynamics in a work relationship. I thought it was irresponsible not to include at least one sentence about how it’s still inappropriate for a boss to ask their subordinate about their love life, for example.
I did also notice that the author didn’t really reckon with how participants knowing they were being recorded, probably affected the way their conversations went? There are examples of non-consensual conversation recording in the book (which is a whole other ethical thing I had to chew on a little bit), But the research heavily relies on recorded conversations, and I thought it was weird that the author never pointed out that knowing you are being recorded could have a pretty strong effect on how people talk to each other.
Other than that, I did really like this book! Stylistically, it was a bit weird for me at times. For example, I find end of chapter summaries to be a little bit condescending, even though I know there is research indicating that they’re helpful for content retention. This is a personal pride issue and I need to get over it, but it’s true. And some of the questions in the workbook portion were just bizarre and off-putting. But for what it is, I think this book was pretty neat! I would be very interested to hear reviews from people who have social anxiety, or perhaps late diagnosed autism, to find out if this book is helpful for people who don’t find conversation as instinctive as I do.
And honestly, I do hope the self-help crowd gets their hands on this. That one conversation in the speed dating section about one-word answers could revolutionize modern dating. Godspeed, little book.
I’m a consummate and unapologetic chatterbox, so making conversation has always been instinctual (especially when I got old enough to develop self awareness around turn taking and active listening), so while at times some of the points felt a little obvious, on the whole it was just neat to see things that feel natural laid out explicitly and kindly. The author has a very friendly writing style and the research and study results were fascinating.
Personally, I found the group conversation section to be the most interesting and validating. The one type of conversation that I do struggle with is being in a group where the preferred conversation topics and general friendship closeness leave me as a bit of an outsider (my spouse is in a band and it’s just not possible to be as close as everyone else in a group when they live together during tour and you don’t know much about music lmao). Seeing the struggles that I have laid out as a perfectly logical result of the group dynamic didn’t make the problem go away, but it did make me feel a little less self-conscious and I think I will be able to approach those situations with a little bit more confidence and acceptance, especially when I take the time to note how much those relationships have improved naturally over the years as I form my own individual friendships with the members of that group.
A few minor dings did pull me out of the book a couple times. Namely, there’s a very sort of corporate/ self-help styling to the book that was mild enough to not completely poison the waters here, but you can tell that the author spends a lot of time with the sort of business boy crowd and does company workshops. Personally, I found the student sections much more appealing and, luckily, that is the majority of the examples used.
Despite this, there were times when I desperately wanted caveats about workplace appropriate topics that never appeared. She has a whole section detailing how data shows that sensitive questions are often received better than the question-asker assumes, but no follow-up about how a research study doesn’t duplicate the power dynamics in a work relationship. I thought it was irresponsible not to include at least one sentence about how it’s still inappropriate for a boss to ask their subordinate about their love life, for example.
I did also notice that the author didn’t really reckon with how participants knowing they were being recorded, probably affected the way their conversations went? There are examples of non-consensual conversation recording in the book (which is a whole other ethical thing I had to chew on a little bit), But the research heavily relies on recorded conversations, and I thought it was weird that the author never pointed out that knowing you are being recorded could have a pretty strong effect on how people talk to each other.
Other than that, I did really like this book! Stylistically, it was a bit weird for me at times. For example, I find end of chapter summaries to be a little bit condescending, even though I know there is research indicating that they’re helpful for content retention. This is a personal pride issue and I need to get over it, but it’s true. And some of the questions in the workbook portion were just bizarre and off-putting. But for what it is, I think this book was pretty neat! I would be very interested to hear reviews from people who have social anxiety, or perhaps late diagnosed autism, to find out if this book is helpful for people who don’t find conversation as instinctive as I do.
And honestly, I do hope the self-help crowd gets their hands on this. That one conversation in the speed dating section about one-word answers could revolutionize modern dating. Godspeed, little book.
February 11, 2025
Really enjoyed the first few chapters. Thought the second half reached a bit and was a little cheesy, but I appreciated the optimism 🌟
November 6, 2025
Yeah, I read a book about having conversations. Want to fight about it?
April 10, 2025
Highly recommend! Pretty useful no matter who you are. This is also a pretty upbeat and positive book, one of those few modern nonfiction books that makes you feel hopeful about the world. Very close to 5 stars.
April 10, 2025
Really enjoyed it! This book is a great example of a book that is grounded in scientific research but is very easy to read and practical.
May 30, 2025
good content but difficult to get through
February 12, 2025
Superb. Why is this book not getting more hype? It would be an excellent companion to Supercommunicators. Really excellent tips in here. I especially liked her idea to write down 5 conversation topics for any event/meeting you’re going to. You don’t have to use any of them, but won’t it be nice to know you have them…
December 9, 2025
This book did a great job of synthesizing what makes a good conversation and how to be a better conversationalist. I loved the way Brooks wove research in with real life situations.
March 10, 2025
I devoured “Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves.” Because the book was written by Alison Wood Brooks, a Harvard Business School professor, I was especially interested. Books about communication that are written by accomplished journalists or academics interest me because they always provide something interesting and insightful.
Although there a lot of learnings throughout the book, one item that caught my attention, because it surprised me, is that we should plan topics for our conversations. I was always under the impression that good conversationalists are able to flow with the movement of the conversation and, through good social skills, steer the conversation to a desired direction. That is wrong.
At the end of each chapter, Brooks summarizes her key themes in a few bullet points. I wish all authors provided summaries for reinforcement.
Although I tremendously enjoyed this book, I hope Brooks writes more books to provide more granularity. And I hope she writes about negotiations. Combining these two thoughts, I would like to know how negotiators can skillfully make their arguments persuasive through effective communication, both verbal and non-verbal.
Although there a lot of learnings throughout the book, one item that caught my attention, because it surprised me, is that we should plan topics for our conversations. I was always under the impression that good conversationalists are able to flow with the movement of the conversation and, through good social skills, steer the conversation to a desired direction. That is wrong.
At the end of each chapter, Brooks summarizes her key themes in a few bullet points. I wish all authors provided summaries for reinforcement.
Although I tremendously enjoyed this book, I hope Brooks writes more books to provide more granularity. And I hope she writes about negotiations. Combining these two thoughts, I would like to know how negotiators can skillfully make their arguments persuasive through effective communication, both verbal and non-verbal.
November 30, 2025
This book is based on professor Alison Wood Brook's Harvard Business School course to improve students' conversational skills - handy both in business as well as in personal life.
I've read a few books of this genre this year and it's probably one of the better ones. I liked Wood Brook's examples and snippets of research; in fact, I would have liked more. Some of the other books I had read earlier, did poach some of the studies covered here.
Topics include:
- preparing questions ahead of a conversation
- listening
- asking questions
- levity
- managing difficult conversations with opposing points of view or even estrangement
- apologising
There are also lists of questions you can ask people to stimulate a conversation. Some of these questions may be culturally more appropriate in the US.
With all of these books, the proof is in the pudding, especially for an introvert like me. Last week, when I was reading this book, I had a random chat with a work inspector I had never met before. By the end of the conversation he turned to me and said: "That was a really good conversation!"
Perhaps there really is something to what those folks at Harvard Business School are learning. I hope the author publishes a book on her negotiation course some time.
I've read a few books of this genre this year and it's probably one of the better ones. I liked Wood Brook's examples and snippets of research; in fact, I would have liked more. Some of the other books I had read earlier, did poach some of the studies covered here.
Topics include:
- preparing questions ahead of a conversation
- listening
- asking questions
- levity
- managing difficult conversations with opposing points of view or even estrangement
- apologising
There are also lists of questions you can ask people to stimulate a conversation. Some of these questions may be culturally more appropriate in the US.
With all of these books, the proof is in the pudding, especially for an introvert like me. Last week, when I was reading this book, I had a random chat with a work inspector I had never met before. By the end of the conversation he turned to me and said: "That was a really good conversation!"
Perhaps there really is something to what those folks at Harvard Business School are learning. I hope the author publishes a book on her negotiation course some time.
January 4, 2026
I picked up this book after watching her being interviewed on the “Diary of a CEO” podcast.
I definitely enjoyed the simple language and actionable advice in the book. Love the book’s structure and especially the summaries at the end of each chapter.
Her advice to just practice the TALK framework is my biggest takeaway. Practice makes perfect, right?!
Some points to work on for me would be to increase my kindness and elevate my focus on my conversational partner(s). Always ask follow up questions!
Overcoming the dread of talking to strangers seems doable after reading Allison’s book.
Now, let’s put it into practice!
I definitely enjoyed the simple language and actionable advice in the book. Love the book’s structure and especially the summaries at the end of each chapter.
Her advice to just practice the TALK framework is my biggest takeaway. Practice makes perfect, right?!
Some points to work on for me would be to increase my kindness and elevate my focus on my conversational partner(s). Always ask follow up questions!
Overcoming the dread of talking to strangers seems doable after reading Allison’s book.
Now, let’s put it into practice!
October 19, 2025
T - Topics
A - Ask good questions
L - Levity
K - Kindness
I enjoyed it! I did an experiment with my spin friend Ashley where I saw if preplanned topics by preparing 5 questions prior to our meeting it would make the conversation more interesting. Surprisingly I found she is not into deep, philosophical questions so it was difficult I’ll say. Anywho, inconclusive results
A - Ask good questions
L - Levity
K - Kindness
I enjoyed it! I did an experiment with my spin friend Ashley where I saw if preplanned topics by preparing 5 questions prior to our meeting it would make the conversation more interesting. Surprisingly I found she is not into deep, philosophical questions so it was difficult I’ll say. Anywho, inconclusive results
November 17, 2025
2.5 stars. Wish I had the downloadable PDF. This book got boring a third of the way into it but the questions at the end were great.
Notes:
Being a successful person is about relationships and relationships are about talking.
The success by any topic is shaped by the emotion underlying it.
Notes:
Being a successful person is about relationships and relationships are about talking.
The success by any topic is shaped by the emotion underlying it.
March 10, 2025
Helpful and user friendly education on how to be a better conversationalist
April 3, 2025
Stunning.
July 21, 2025
I really enjoyed this—I think the organization makes a lot of sense, and I found Dr. Brooks’ voice refreshing and helpful. Feels like good evergreen learnings.
November 12, 2025
Very interesting, fun, and helpful book.
January 8, 2026
3/5 but could be 3.25
January 30, 2026
great book with easy frameworks to follow.
another one for the re read
another one for the re read
May 19, 2025
Accessible with pragmatic takeaways…one of the few books that will actually lead me to make changes in my day to day.
February 2, 2026
Fascinating book that looks at the nuances of conversation. The TALK maxims provide a guide to help improve conversations and relationships.
April 3, 2025
enjoyed listening to this a lot, especially because having conversations (especially with people I’ve just met) is pretty much all I do these days. I think a lot of this didn’t exactly feel like groundbreaking new knowledge to me, but it’s gotten me actively thinking about what makes some conversations feel so much more engaging than others and when I’m helping/hurting that. Definitely have had some convos with people that would really benefit from reading this book lol
April 14, 2025
This book is a gem. I only wish I’d read it when I was in my 20’s. The tips would have greatly improved by personal and professional life. Try it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 228 reviews