Tessa West is a Professor of Psychology at New York University and an expert in communication. Her work focuses on why we struggle to understand one another and the simple yet effective strategies we can use to become better communicators.
Tessa’s work has been covered by The New York Times, ABC World News, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, The Guardian, and the US Supreme Court. She has appeared on Good Morning America and CNN, and is a regular contributor to The Wall Street Journal and CNBC. She has two Ted Talks: “The surprisingly simple reasons why teams fail” in 2025, and “The problem with being too nice at work,” which was one of the top 10 most watched Ted Talks of 2024. Her episode of Hidden Brain, “How to Really Know Another Person” is one of the most listened to of all time. She is the author of the book Jerks at Work: Toxic coworkers and what to do about them, and Job Therapy: Finding work that works for you.
