TALK

Reading TALK is like having a conversation with the world s best conversationalist Angela DuckworthThe leading Harvard professor shows how we can all become better at conversation and why this will help us all thriveConversation is at the heart of our relationships and our decision making From meeting a colleague to saying goodnight to our loved ones our days are filled with verbal communication but the science of everyday conversation is little known We may spend time thinking about difficult exchanges but research shows that there s room to improve seemingly easy interactions too In Talk Harvard professor Alison Wood Brooks shows how simple changes in how we communicate can enhance our relationships our performance at work and our lives who we talk to affects our happiness and how to talk across differences Her original research based on thousands of conversations from sales calls to speed dating provides fascinating insights For instance We spend much more time thinking about what we ll wear to an occasion than thinking about what we ll say when we get thereThe author s own research on the surprising power of questions reveals the superpower of follow up questions especially when datingManagers who were randomly assigned to make one joke in one