Brought to you by Penguin.

You might already consider yourself a stellar conversationalist, but could you be even better? This book will help enrich your life, one conversation at a time.

Conversation is at the heart of our relationships and decision-making - but the science behind our everyday interactions, and how to improve them, is little known.

In Talk, Harvard Professor Alison Wood Brooks provides fascinating insights into the power of effective communication. She gives you the tools that her MBA students say transform their lives, bringing together psychology, linguistics, sociology and neuroscience in her original framework:

T – Topics – including the surprising impact of preparing topics before a conversation
A – Asking – why we need to do more (and why we do less than we think)
L – Levity – how to find the fun in conversations with anyone
K – Kindness – how to be a better listener and not simply pretend to be one!

Through her own original research, Brooks shows readers how small changes in how we communicate can make a big difference to our relationships, our careers and our lives.


'Ground-breaking research that changed my life' Mel Robbins

'Reading TALK is like having a conversation with the world's best conversationalist' Angela Duckworth

© Alison Wood Brooks 2025 (P) Penguin Audio 2025