How to Communicate With Confidence & Ease (From Harvard Business School’s #1 Professor)

The Mel Robbins Podcast

SiriusXM Podcasts

Education, Mental Health, Relationships, Self-improvement, Society & Culture, Health & Fitness

4.8 • 10.6K Ratings

🗓️ 30 October 2025

⏱️ 77 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This episode will completely change the way you think about communication. What you learn will boost your influence and make you more confident. If you… Overthink what you said hours after a meeting, Freeze up when it’s your turn to talk, Or want to sound more confident without faking it… This is your blueprint for better conversations at work, in relationships, and in life. Today, Mel sits down with Dr. Alison Wood Brooks: Harvard professor, researcher, author, and one of the world’s leading experts on the science of communication. Her course at Harvard Business School, all about communication, is one of the most popular classes there – and in this episode she shares the exact methods she teaches to students at HBS. You’re going to learn the exact tools and strategies that will help you communicate with more confidence, ease, and clarity. You'll learn: -What makes conversation feel so hard and how to make it easier -The #1 mistake people make when they talk -How to feel more confident even when you're anxious, blanking out, or unsure of what to say -Why we misread people constantly (and how to stop doing it) -How to recover from awkward moments or miscommunication -The skill every great leader, parent, and partner has in common Whether you want to build better relationships, stop second-guessing yourself, or speak up with more purpose and ease, this episode will give you the science, tools, and confidence to do it. For more resources related to today’s episode, click here for the podcast episode page. If you liked the episode, check out this one next: How To Handle Difficult People & Take Back Your Peace and Power Connect with Mel: Get Mel’s newsletter, packed with tools, coaching, and inspiration. Get Mel’s #1 bestselling book, The Let Them Theory Watch the episodes on YouTube Follow Mel on Instagram The Mel Robbins Podcast Instagram Mel's TikTok Subscribe to SiriusXM Podcasts+ to listen to new episodes ad-free Disclaimer

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's your friend Mel, and welcome to the Mel Robbins podcast.
0:08.6	I'm sitting here right now in our Boston studios, and I'm surrounded here in Boston
0:13.6	by some of the world's most prestigious research institutions and academic institutions,
0:20.6	including MIT, Harvard, Harvard Business School.
0:24.7	In fact, did you know it costs $75,000 in tuition a year to go to Harvard Business School?
0:32.0	What are they teaching over there? Well, today, you and I are going to learn what they're teaching Harvard Business
0:39.2	School students in one of the most popular classes at Harvard Business School. And no, it's not on
0:45.2	finance or investment banking. It's on the science of communication. Professor Allison Woodbrooks
0:52.3	created the course. It has a wait list. She has taken time out from her crazy busy schedule to be here for one reason today. She's here for you to teach you the main lessons, the takeaways, and the strategy. See, learning how to communicate better. It's a skill. It's a skill that will change your life. This is a class
1:12.3	that should be taught everywhere, not just at Harvard Business School. I mean, wouldn't you love it if
1:16.3	your boss was a better communicator with you? Don't you wish your friends or your partner or your
1:21.3	family could really share what they're thinking in a way that was a little bit more direct?
1:27.6	Don't you wish the people didn't misunderstand you?
1:30.3	I sure do.
1:31.3	What I love about Professor Brooks's research is that she's taken all these big,
1:35.8	heady, intellectual topics about communication and boiled it down into four simple things
1:42.3	based on the research that you and I can do that are going to help you
1:46.0	communicate better starting today. So you're ready? Because class is officially in session.
2:07.1	Hey, it's your friend Mel, and welcome to the Mel Robbins podcast.
2:09.2	I am so excited that you're here.
2:11.2	I'm so excited about the topic today.
2:13.7	I'm excited about the guests that we're going to spend time with.
	...

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