R.E.A.L. Discussion × TALK Studios — Conversation Science in the Classroom

Founded by Dr. Alison Wood Brooks, a pioneer in the field of conversation science and professor at Harvard Business School, TALK Studios is on a mission to make conversation better, deeper, and more measurable. As its K–12 partner and the home for its work with schools, R.E.A.L.^® Discussion brings that conversation science into the classroom.

We aren’t starting from scratch: our skills-based framework (Relate, Excerpt, Ask, Listen) gives teachers and students a shared language for discussion — and schools a way to track growth over time. We’ve worked with 100+ schools to bring this work into classrooms for more than 17,000 students and counting.

Every school arrives with its own question. Some want discussions to be more rigorous, equitable, or authentically student-led. Others want shared language and benchmarks to turn discussion from an activity into a learning goal. Many are asking how students can develop and demonstrate their own thinking (and human skills) in an AI-rich world. Others want to bring their Portrait of a Graduate into daily practice, turning goals like communication and critical thinking into skills students practice and transcripts capture.

R.E.A.L. helps schools embed conversation science into your existing courses (teacher training, student materials, ongoing data) and ensure that your students learn The Other AI: Authentic Interaction.