How to Talk Gooder in Business and Life

This is an Elective Curriculum course for HBS MBA students. People must converse effectively to achieve success in every aspect of business and life – from pitching ideas to giving feedback, brainstorming and making strategic decisions, from interviewing to firing. Though the case method hones students’ ability to present their ideas in large groups, this course will focus on helping students sharpen their ability to interact with others in the wide array of everyday conversations. First, we develop a framework to understand conversation as a fundamental part of the human experience – a complex, repeated game we play with others daily. Then, through many immersive exercises (enacted with students in the course and with others outside of HBS), students learn evidence-based tactics to converse more effectively (talk “gooder”) in their lives and careers—with time to practice these tactics during the course and beyond.