Harvard’s Behaviour Expert: The Psychology Of Why People Don't Like You!
- Dec 15, 2025
- 2:31:34
- Full Episode
Why do your conversations keep going wrong? Harvard behavioural scientist Professor Alison Wood Brooks reveals the SECRETS to better communication, real connection, negotiation skills and difficult conversations!
Professor Alison Wood Brooks is a behavioural scientist with 2 decades of experience in conversational science. She teaches a Harvard course on negotiation and communication, and is the bestselling author of ‘Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves’.
She explains: ◼️The ONE word that transforms anxiety into peak performance ◼️The TALK framework for mastering any conversation ◼️Why being "too polite" is secretly destroying your relationships ◼️Why 99% of apologies fail, and the exact formula that works ◼️The question technique that creates connection with anyone
00:00 Intro 02:20 People Need This to Communicate Well 04:24 Giving Wrong Impressions 06:09 Being a Better Speaker and Group Conversations 11:17 Experimenting With Communication Skills With My Identical Twin 12:26 The Science on How to Reframe Anxiety 18:33 If You're Nervous, You're More Likely to Make a Bad Decision 20:02 Asking for a Salary Raise 24:26 The Conversational Compass 32:31 How People Should Really Apologize and When It's Too Much 37:17 The Validation Trick in Any Dispute 41:46 Don't Do This When You Disagree 46:05 Stop Doing This During Disagreements 47:53 How to Be Liked 49:48 The T-A-L-L Framework 51:33 Easy Ways to Have More Casual Conversations 54:59 If You Want to Be Liked, Don't Do This 59:10 The Importance of Asking in Conversations and Dates 01:03:13 Never Do This on a Date 01:07:13 The Meeting Mistake You Shouldn't Make 01:09:14 Poor Communication Skills Might Be Holding Back Your Career 01:11:48 Ads 01:12:39 The Importance of Kindness in Any Conversation 01:17:06 When to Incorporate Levity 01:23:42 The Science Behind Introverts and Extroverts — Is It Real? 01:27:03 Your Contribution Score in a Conversation 01:41:46 Ads 01:43:42 The Male Crisis: Ask These Questions to Make Friends 01:52:43 10 Questions to Be Liked 01:56:29 How to Persuade People and Be a Better Salesperson 01:58:33 People Confuse Agreement With Listening 02:09:07 This Is the Only Conversation That Feels Real 02:14:44 What Happens When Replacing Myself With AI 02:19:09 Show Your Real Self at Work: Yes or No? 02:25:01 How to Teach Your Kids to Speak
Follow Alison: Instagram - https://bit.ly/3YoQOc4 Website - https://bit.ly/4aH172A TalkStudios - https://bit.ly/3MzbXxF
You can purchase Alison’s book, ‘Talk: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves’, here: https://amzn.to/498C3QQ
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Brief Summary
Allison Wood Brooks discusses effective communication, the science of conversation, and strategies for building likability and deeper connections.
Key points
- The Importance of Relationships. Allison explains how mastering conversation can significantly impact all aspects of life.
- Negotiating a Raise. To negotiate effectively, strengthen your BATNA and focus on what you can offer.
- The Power of Apologies. Effective apologies involve ownership and a promise to change.
- The Power of Disagreement. Disagreeing can shut down conversations. Instead, approach with curiosity and openness.
- The Importance of Topic Preparation. Preparing topics ahead of time can significantly improve conversation quality and likability.
- Self-Awareness in Communication. Self-awareness in communication can drastically impact one's career trajectory.
Episode highlights
- The Importance of RelationshipsAllison explains how mastering conversation can significantly impact all aspects of life.“If they can learn even one strategy that helps them in their conversations, it will massively improve their lives.”3:16Dec 15, 2025
- Negotiating a RaiseTo negotiate effectively, strengthen your BATNA and focus on what you can offer.“You want to strengthen your BATNA.”20:29Dec 15, 2025
- The Power of ApologiesEffective apologies involve ownership and a promise to change.“The most effective component of an apology is making a promise to change.”33:31Dec 15, 2025
- The Power of DisagreementDisagreeing can shut down conversations. Instead, approach with curiosity and openness.“The only way that we change our beliefs is usually across many conversations.”42:21Dec 15, 2025
- The Importance of Topic PreparationPreparing topics ahead of time can significantly improve conversation quality and likability.“Topic prep is a huge deal.”53:12Dec 15, 2025
- Self-Awareness in CommunicationSelf-awareness in communication can drastically impact one's career trajectory.“Their communication self-awareness is honestly in some cases the single gravitational force on their career trajectory.”1:10:12Dec 15, 2025
- Understanding Conversation StylesDiscover how different personalities approach social interactions and conversation management.“It's both about how frequently who do you want to be interacting with?”1:24:25Dec 15, 2025
- The Importance of ListeningLearn why listening is crucial for meaningful conversations and connections.“People don't really care much about listening.”1:36:20Dec 15, 2025





