Jan 26

You 2.0: Trusting Your Doubt

We conclude our month-long You 2.0 series with a look at the hidden power of doubt — not as weakness or indecision, but as a tool that helps us make better choices and navigate an uncertain world. Researcher Bobby Parmar explores how doubt can sharpen judgment, and makes a case f ... Show More

1h 37m

Jan 19

You 2.0: The Practice of Patience

Patience can sometimes feel like a lost art, particularly in a culture that prizes competition and the idea of "failing fast." But psychologist Sarah Schnitker says patience is a vital skill for success in both our personal and professional lives. We talk with Sarah about the dif ... Show More

1h 40m

Jan 12

You 2.0: How to Get Out of a Rut

There are times in life when the challenges we face feel insurmountable. Authors succumb to writer’s block. Athletes and artists hit a plateau. People of a certain age fall into a midlife crisis. These are all different ways of saying: I’m stuck. This week, in a favorite conversa ... Show More

1h 38m

Aug 2024

Encore - How to have great conversations, with Charles Duhigg and Michael Yeomans, PhD

Conversational chemistry might seem intangible, but psychologists are beginning figure out what makes some conversations work while others fall apart. Charles Duhigg, author of the upcoming book Supercommunicators and conversation researcher Michael Yeomans, PhD, talk about how a ... Show More

50m 32s

Nov 2024

169. Don't Be a ZQ: Make Your Conversations Count

What makes a great conversation?“Many of us dread small talk,” says Harvard Business School professor and author Alison Wood Brooks. Yet she believes these everyday exchanges are the gateway to deeper connection and opportunity. An expert in the science of conversation, Wood B ... Show More

28m 16s

Feb 2025

How to Master Small Talk & Why We Do Things Without Knowing Why- SYSK Choice

Is there a reason we have eyebrows? Pretty much every part of the human body has a reason for being there and eyebrows actually have three reasons. I begin this episode by explaining what they are. https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/58424/why-do-we-have-eyebrows Every relations ... Show More

47m 5s

Jan 2025

The science of better workplace conversations

What can we learn about the way we speak by analysing thousands of everyday conversations? That’s a question that fascinates Alison Wood Brooks. Alison, an associate professor at Harvard Business School, and author of the forthcoming book, Talk: The Science of Conversation and th ... Show More

17m 41s

Mar 2025

The Keys to Great Conversation

Whether we’re interacting with colleagues, clients, friends, family members or strangers, conversations are the way most of us build — or break — relationships. And yet we don’t often think deeply about how to approach this type of casual communication. Alison Wood Brooks, assoc ... Show More

32m 19s

Mar 2024

Better conversations, better relationships

Charles Duhigg’s bestseller The Power of Habit was the definitive guide to building and sustaining successful habits. His new book, <a href="https://amzn.to/3Pa8dRE" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Supercommunicators</a>, grapples with the knotty t ... Show More

41m 16s

Aug 2025

The Science of Conversation: How To Say What You Mean, Be Heard, and Stop People-Pleasing | Alison Wood Brooks

You talk all day. Here's how to do it better, according to a professor from Harvard Business School. <a href="https://alisonwoodbrooks.com/">Alison Wood Brooks</a> comes from the Harvard Business School, where she teaches a course called "<a href= "h ... Show More

1h 19m

Jul 2025

Why We Have Tip-of-the-Tongue Moments & How to Make Better Conversation

If you enjoy eating nuts – good for you! Nuts are healthy. But you might be surprised to hear just how healthy they are - and you don’t have to eat very many to get the benefits. This episode begins with a look at a fascinating study on nuts that has been going on for decades. ht ... Show More

49m 53s

Aug 2025

222. Discussing Through Discomfort: Why the Conversations You Avoid Cost You the Most

Some conversations are uncomfortable, but avoiding them comes with a cost.You want a more successful career, a more fulfilling relationship, a more meaningful life? What if all that’s standing in your way — are the conversations that you’re avoiding?“Most things that we want in l ... Show More

26m 1s

Mar 2021

How to Talk to Strangers (Listener Question)

We spend a lot of time thinking about how to have conversations with people we care about. After all, these are the relationships that have the biggest influence in our lives. But what if we spent as much time thinking about the conversations we have with strangers? Could there b ... Show More

16m 36s

We Need to Talk