Sheila Heen ’93, negotiation expert and trainer, has been appointed the Thaddeus R. Beal Professor of Practice at Harvard Law School. She has been a lecturer on law at HLS since 1995.
Heen teaches the Negotiation Workshop and in the executive education program at the Program on Negotiation at Harvard Law School (PON), where she also collaborates in the design of courses, including modules for PON Global and the PON Master Class.
“Sheila Heen is an internationally-recognized expert in both the theory and practice of negotiation, as well as a creative, thoughtful, and impactful teacher,” said John F. Manning ’85, the Morgan and Helen Chu Dean of Harvard Law School. “We are delighted that she has joined the Harvard Law School faculty.”
In addition to teaching at HLS, Heen is a founder and CEO of Triad Consulting, a corporate education and consulting firm, where she has developed tools to help lawyers better handle difficult conversations with everyone one from clients to judges. These tools have been taught through the ABA, as well as at law schools, various state mediation groups, and law firms.
“Sheila is a gifted negotiation teacher and a best-selling author with vast professional consulting experience helping individuals and organizations manage conflict and effective communication,” said Robert N. Mnookin, the Samuel Williston Professor of Law at Harvard Law School and former faculty chair of PON. “I am thrilled she is joining our faculty full time as a professor of practice.”
Heen is the co-author of “Difficult Conversations: How to Discuss What Matters Most” and “Thanks for the Feedback: The Science and Art of Receiving Feedback Well (Even When It’s Off-Base, Unfair, Poorly Delivered and Frankly, You’re Not in the Mood).” Her articles have appeared in The New York Times, Harvard Business Review, Fortune, Harvard Negotiation Journal, and Real Simple.
Heen received her J.D. from Harvard Law School and earned a B.A. from Occidental College in Los Angeles.