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Dr. Alison Wood Brooks appeared on The Mel Robbins podcast on 3 April 2025. Dr. Brooks and Mel Robbins discussed TALK, the award-winning course at Harvard Business School, and highlighted its key findings that can be applied in real-life experiences. One of her pieces of advice in the podcast was on the strategy of confidently asking for a raise at the workplace.
Dr. Alison Wood Brooks is a behavioral scientist, an O'Brien Associate Professor of Business Administration, and serves as a Hellman Faculty Fellow at Harvard Business School.
In the podcast, Dr. Brooks delved into the art of communication and how some of the biggest leaders and high-performing individuals forge their way with effective communication.
She remarked that it is easy to believe that being loud or declaring, "I deserve a raise because I'm great and you owe this to me," will do the trick. However, she clarified that explaining the value that an individual brings to the company and demonstrating how difficult they are to replace puts them in a stronger position to request a raise.
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"If your boss has a queue of 200 other resumes sitting at their desk then you're probably not in a very powerful position to walk in and say 'Hey give me a raise.' But if you are bringing a lot of value and you're hard to replace then maybe you are in a better position to talk about it", Alison Wood Brooks remarked.
Who is Alison Wood Brooks? Know her insights on gaining recognition at work
Dr. Brooks is the creator and educator of the course TALK (Topic Selection, Asking Questions, Levity, and Kindness). The course is designed to help students learn core communication skills and negotiation.
She is also the author of TALK: The Science of Conversation and the Art of Being Ourselves. The book outlines the award-winning course Dr. Brooks teaches at Harvard Business School (HBS).
According to her website, Dr. Alison Wood Brooks has been honored as the Best 40-Under-40 business school professor by Poets & Quants. She did her PhD in decision processes from the University of Pennsylvania and holds a bachelor's degree in psychology and finance from Princeton University.
Elsewhere in the podcast, Mel asked Dr. Brooks about the strategies for individuals to stand out and gain recognition at work. Dr. Brooks made two key points. The first is to keep track of all achievements, even the smallest ones. She further exclaimed:
"Keeping notes in some way some document where you're keeping track of what you've done is sort of part one," Dr Brooks said.
The second point is to talk about one's achievements and not be secretive about them.
"When you have done something that you feel proud of or that you feel could be valuable to your organization. Then don't keep it a secret, like no one's going to know about it. Maybe it brings you a sense of pride, but in terms of work, it's valuable to share," Dr. Alison Wood Brooks continued.
Dr. Alison Wood Brooks's insights on little things that enhance workplace happiness
Dr. Alison Wood Brooks redirected the conversation from money to the small and often overlooked factors beyond work. She claimed that happiness at the workplace is not always defined by the paycheck an individual receives each month, it rather depends on factors such as workplace relationships, and peace of mind. She said that employees should ask themselves:
"If my company can't afford to give me $10,000-$20,000 more a year, are there other things that would make my life so much better so much more pleasant, that are not about money at all?... Think creatively think outside of just one issue," Dr. Brooks exclaimed.
Dr. Alison Wood Brooks's research on the science of conversation has been covered in several prestigious journals such as Forbes, the New York Times, Harvard Business Review, and more.
Every episode of The Mel Robbinson podcast is available on YouTube, Apple Podcast, Spotify, and Amazon Music.
