What We Say, What They Hear with Deborah Tannen

Name: What We Say, What They Hear with Deborah Tannen
Start: 2025-09-17T18:00:00-04:00
End: 2025-09-17T20:00:00-04:00
Location: 925 13th St NW, Washington D.C., DC, United States, Washington, District of Columbia 20005

Schedule

Wed Sep 17 2025 at 06:00 pm to 08:00 pm

UTC-04:00

Location

925 13th St NW, Washington D.C., DC, United States, Washington, District of Columbia 20005 | Washington, DC

Wouldn’t this be a better world if we all just said what we meant? Join Planet Word for a special evening with Deborah Tannen, one of the world’s most influential linguists and a leading voice in the study of human communication. A Georgetown University professor and New York Times bestselling author, Tannen has spent decades uncovering the subtle signals that shape our conversations.
Drawing on her books, including You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation and You’re Wearing THAT?: Understanding Mothers and Daughters in Conversation, Tannen explains the linguistic elements that make up conversational style, how these patterns vary by culture, gender, and social context, and how they influence what we think we are saying and what others actually hear. Her work reveals how even well-meaning conversations can go off course, and how greater awareness of how language works can lead to better communication and stronger relationships.
6:00 p.m. — Program begins (Auditorium)
7:00 p.m. — Light refreshments (Planet Word Lobby)
With support from the Ibis Group, this fifth installment of the Having Hard Conversations series empowers attendees to engage respectfully in an era of increasing division.
For questions or concerns regarding accessibility needs, please contact [email protected].