2026 Keynote Speaker
Deborah Tannen
“Can We Talk: How Ways of Talking Can Make or Break Relationships”
Deborah Tannen is a Distinguished University Professor in the Linguistics Department at Georgetown University. Among her many books, You Just Don’t Understand: Women and Men in Conversation (1990) was on The New York Times best seller list for nearly four years, including eight months as #1, and has been translated into 31 languages. Her books You’re Wearing THAT? (2006), about mothers and daughters, and You Were Always Mom’s Favorite! (2009), about sisters, were also New York Times best sellers. Her most recent book is a memoir entitled Finding My Father: His Century-Long Journey from WWI Warsaw and My Quest to Follow (2020). She has written for The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and the Harvard Business Review, among others, and has appeared on The Colbert Report, Oprah, 20/20, Good Morning America, PBS NewsHour, Nightline, NPR’s Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Fresh Air. In addition to her linguistic research and writing, she has published poems, short stories, and personal essays. Her play, “An Act of Devotion,” is included in The Best American Short Plays: 1993‑1994. Her lecture audiences have included The World Bank, The Brookings Institution, a gathering of United States senators and their spouses, and the Democratic senators’ annual retreat. She organized and spoke at a series of talks on the topic of metaphor hosted by Vice President Al Gore at the Vice President’s Residence. Her book about apologies is forthcoming from Penguin Random House early next year.
