The Psychology of Conversation

Conversation is a profound part of the human experience. To share our ideas, thoughts, and feelings with each other, we converse face to face and remotely—via phone, email, text message, online comment boards, and in contracts. Conversations form the bedrock of our relationships and, often, function as the vehicle of productivity at work.

Unfortunately, most people make conversational mistakes. This is especially true in the workplace, where norms and rules of appropriateness and professionalism matter, and issues surrounding voice and backlash abound. We say things we shouldn’t (errors of commission) and don’t say things we should (errors of omission).

Previous research on conversation has been limited because natural conversations are difficult to capture and analyze. Professor Brooks uses a combination of traditional and cutting-edge methods such as machine learning, natural language processing, field experiments, and laboratory experiments to identify and improve pervasive and intriguiging conversational phenomena. For example, Professor Brooks has identified tactics people should use more often than they do: seeking advice, issuing apologies, revealing personal failures, carefully labeling emotions, and asking questions (especially follow-up questions). On the other hand, she has identified some tactics people use often but shouldn't, such as making inappropriate jokes in the workplace and giving backhanded compliments.