Alison Wood Brooks

And I studied people's feelings, mostly anxiety, like how can we come to understand why so many of us feel anxious so much of the time and what can we do about it? Which then led me to my professorship at Harvard, where at the beginning I was recruited to teach negotiation and presumably to do research on negotiation and people's emotions and negotiation.

And I studied people's feelings, mostly anxiety, like how can we come to understand why so many of us feel anxious so much of the time and what can we do about it? Which then led me to my professorship at Harvard, where at the beginning I was recruited to teach negotiation and presumably to do research on negotiation and people's emotions and negotiation.

And after a couple of years there, I started to get a little bit frustrated and I realized I'm not sure I want to teach students who are already very strategic. to be even more strategic. And it was this coincided with this epiphany that for many decades, behavioral scientists had been studying difficult conversations.

And after a couple of years there, I started to get a little bit frustrated and I realized I'm not sure I want to teach students who are already very strategic. to be even more strategic. And it was this coincided with this epiphany that for many decades, behavioral scientists had been studying difficult conversations.

And after a couple of years there, I started to get a little bit frustrated and I realized I'm not sure I want to teach students who are already very strategic. to be even more strategic. And it was this coincided with this epiphany that for many decades, behavioral scientists had been studying difficult conversations.

And all the way along, I had this niggling feeling like, well, but even conversations that seem like they should be easy are also very tricky and we're making all kinds of mistakes. So let me see if I can figure out how we can do every conversation better. And that led me to a place of designing a new course called Talk at Harvard and eventually writing this book about that.

And all the way along, I had this niggling feeling like, well, but even conversations that seem like they should be easy are also very tricky and we're making all kinds of mistakes. So let me see if I can figure out how we can do every conversation better. And that led me to a place of designing a new course called Talk at Harvard and eventually writing this book about that.

And all the way along, I had this niggling feeling like, well, but even conversations that seem like they should be easy are also very tricky and we're making all kinds of mistakes. So let me see if I can figure out how we can do every conversation better. And that led me to a place of designing a new course called Talk at Harvard and eventually writing this book about that.

Oh, what a fabulous question, John. Maurice is one of the most amazing people and such a fantastic mentor. In fact, he's known as one of the best mentors in the field, and I was so lucky to benefit from that mentorship. He devoted so much attention and time to developing me as a scholar, and it was so incredibly helpful.

Oh, what a fabulous question, John. Maurice is one of the most amazing people and such a fantastic mentor. In fact, he's known as one of the best mentors in the field, and I was so lucky to benefit from that mentorship. He devoted so much attention and time to developing me as a scholar, and it was so incredibly helpful.

Oh, what a fabulous question, John. Maurice is one of the most amazing people and such a fantastic mentor. In fact, he's known as one of the best mentors in the field, and I was so lucky to benefit from that mentorship. He devoted so much attention and time to developing me as a scholar, and it was so incredibly helpful.

And to this day, he's one of my best friends and continues to be a very valuable mentor. He spent a lot of time with me. We spent a lot of time in conversation. We spent a lot of time brainstorming.

And to this day, he's one of my best friends and continues to be a very valuable mentor. He spent a lot of time with me. We spent a lot of time in conversation. We spent a lot of time brainstorming.

And to this day, he's one of my best friends and continues to be a very valuable mentor. He spent a lot of time with me. We spent a lot of time in conversation. We spent a lot of time brainstorming.

He taught me a lot about the importance of developing your taste for ideas, that there are a lot of people out there that can go through the motions of conducting behavioral science, but what might be the more rare skill is coming up with good ideas that touch on something real. And so I really, I had such a great privilege of working with Maurice.

He taught me a lot about the importance of developing your taste for ideas, that there are a lot of people out there that can go through the motions of conducting behavioral science, but what might be the more rare skill is coming up with good ideas that touch on something real. And so I really, I had such a great privilege of working with Maurice.

He taught me a lot about the importance of developing your taste for ideas, that there are a lot of people out there that can go through the motions of conducting behavioral science, but what might be the more rare skill is coming up with good ideas that touch on something real. And so I really, I had such a great privilege of working with Maurice.

What a gift you have given to them to help them develop their musical skills. It's fabulous. My husband is a drummer and we've met playing in a band together and we continue to play in a band together with a couple of my Harvard colleagues as well. So drummers are a special breed, John.

What a gift you have given to them to help them develop their musical skills. It's fabulous. My husband is a drummer and we've met playing in a band together and we continue to play in a band together with a couple of my Harvard colleagues as well. So drummers are a special breed, John.

What a gift you have given to them to help them develop their musical skills. It's fabulous. My husband is a drummer and we've met playing in a band together and we continue to play in a band together with a couple of my Harvard colleagues as well. So drummers are a special breed, John.