Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People

Any chapter in this book is worth 10x the cost of the book.Like Vanessa I too had an epiphany at one point in my life when I realized social interaction could be learned. I wasn't some how limited by my genetics or upbringing to forever not know what to say. Once I learned this important truth I became a voracious student of social engineering.I’ve heard Vanessa on a number of podcasts and immediately pre-ordered Captivate when I heard it was coming out. When she asked for pre-readers I jumped at the chance. I’ll admit to struggling to get through the awful formatting of the pre-release ebook version give to me by her publisher. But the day the book came out I bought both the Kindle and Audible versions.Captivate is one of the best books I've read on the subject of how to understand and interact with people in the last half decade.The "academics who did a study on college seniors and now tell you how people tick" genre has exploded recently. While there are good nuggets and insights in those books. They are heavy on the author's biased reasons why and not on actionable - as in you can use it today - techniques. Vanessa's book is practical. It is written from the perspective of someone trying to build a business, get a date, or just have a good party.This is real world stuff for people living in the real world.If you are a fan of social and life hackers like Neil Strauss, Tim Ferris, Scott Adams, or Tony Robbins, be ready to add a new member to the social engineering pantheon.If you are a self proclaimed introvert with social anxiety this book is for you too. Vanessa calls herself a "recovering awkward person" and you can be too. You'll learn to work with your strengths in the first chapter and not live in the hell of faking it till you make it.Buy the book, you won't regret it.

Loved, loved, loved this book. Wow. The author breaks things down 5-minute conversation starters, how to be more engaging, how to "speed-read" people and so much more.I am a beginner real estate investor and have been a shy person my whole life (I'm 52). I WISH I HAD THIS BOOK 30 YEARS AGO! I particularly LOVE the audiobook because the author is the one that is dictating the book and she is so engaging, so charming and so clear in her communication. I think the audiobook is amazing but you have to be able to take notes cuz it's chockful of golden nuggets. A+++, Mrs. Van Edwards!!

This is a letter I wrote to Ms. Edwards and I think it sums up about how I feel about this book. Many of us are compassionate about the people God brings into our lives, but we... As in in me... Go about it the wrong way in showing our Tru feelings. This book... In the little I have read... Has already helped me and I hope it helps you also. You are a beautiful person. To let this he seen we have to shine the light on others and in the process we see the greatness in ourselves through the reflect.Letter:hope this e-mail finds you well. I am really enjoying the book... Slow reader so just up to the decoding now. The book has really helped me out. I am fairly intellectual so I would always try to showcase myself. I thought I could make friend by showing my value. How wrong was l. I need to show them thier value. I love people, but I would come off arrogant. This eventually lead to me having no friends and a divorce after 20 years (sadly I didn't even see it coming).However, now am an Uber driver and I can try out your techniques with my snack size friends (I love Fight Club) and it is amazing. I love hearing about peoples lives and we share a bond in the short time together.I work hard at finding threads and asking why (I have not made it to 5 yet...sorry). It makes for an enjoyable ride for all and I have been asked to hang out afterwards and my tips have increased. But beyond that it has helped make ligit connections, something I always desired, but have done incorrectly (or I found a technique I could eliminate).I look forward to many friends and a loving family.Sincerely,MatthewPS- Thank you it was amazing. The more fucus I put on others the more they said I was wondering. I was gushing not knowing what to do. I had that time of attention in 15 years. And from people I just met. They said I just moved to the rank of number one Uber drive! (Which was odd because one of the friends was an Uber driver but I didn't want to split hairs).PPS- Sadly, I didn't know how to take a compliment. All I could think to say was..."Aww... You would do the same to me."

Right before starting this review, I noticed that that some of the negative reviews for this book took issue with Van Edwards tone in this book, one that include the sort of corny pop culture jokes that the "funny" person in a cubicle space like to throw around, knowing that other "funny" people will laugh, and everyone else with give a polite laugh so as not to seem rude. My attitude towards jokes in books, both fiction and nonfiction, is that I don't care so long as it doesn't interrupt the pacing. Bad jokes don't upset me unless they're mean-spirited. But I actually get their purpose in this particular book:Without the goofy jokes and whimsical examples Van Edwards would sound like a psychopath.I don't intend this as an insult, I found a lot of the advice in this book very helpful, it's just that these sort of tactics and preparations for social interactions are normally employed by pick up artists, salespeople, and the aforementioned psychopaths. There's plenty of unsavory people who have contempt for the human race but have a desire to extract value from others through interaction.The reason I could tolerate Van Edwards version of this is that she genuinely seems to have good intentions with this information, usually encouraging shy, introverted, and awkward people to find ways they can adapt to social situations without giving up a part of themselves or running themselves ragged. She continually advises the reader to approach these social situations with open eyes and an open heart, and not to do anything that would conflict with their comfort, safety or morals.I am very tall and looming, tend to look angry, and have a lot of anxiety in social situations, so there's plenty in here I intend to try out (the cheatsheets and cartoon microexpression cards are a helpful addition) so I'm willing to look past the dorkiness since the contents seem useful.

This is an easy and fun read that offers the reader countless real examples of how to succeed with people interactions.Vanessa is such a genuine writer who speaks from her own experiences and from the heart.I just bought her other book Cue.Thanks so much!Damian

When I first picked up Captivate, I thought “this book is going to try to teach me to become an extrovert, isn’t it? I couldn’t have been more wrong.There’s a lot of information out in the world that claims to be scientifically-proven or a proven-model, but it tends to fall flat or go out of style or only work for a select group of people.Captivate is for everyone.This book celebrates introverts, extroverts, and those in between. It em-powers anyone who has felt awkward in a social or professional setting. It champions entrepreneurs, mothers, executives, students--if you are a per-son, this book is for you.Vanessa Van Edwards shares her teaching methods in such a fun, explor-ative way--encouraging the reader to be interactive with the lessons and to discover something more about themselves and the people around them.I loved the chapter on the art of storytelling and how stories truly have the power to shape interactions, but who am I kidding? I loved every single part, and I can’t wait to go back and re-read certain sections when I have a situation for which I want to really hone my “people” skills using that chap-ter’s advice.Captivate is a people manual. It’s not meant to be read once and then sit on a bookshelf collecting dust. It’s meant to be picked up over and over again when you have a first date or when you need some advice or when you have an interview and when you want to know how to work the room. It’s there as a resource when you’re becoming more committed to a partner and when you want to appreciate them based on their own love language.This book is the textbook for people, but one that you actually want to read, again and again.

This is neither a content dense book nor is it an outstanding book. I am very skeptical when nearly every review is five stars, even though they say Verified Purchase. That isn't statistically possible with this book for objective people to come to that conclusion. I am only commenting because I buy books based on the reviews and these reviews are very out of line with this merits of this book.Most chapters underdeliver. They have subtitles like "How to get along with anyone" or "How to crack someone's personality" but the actual content is very light. You aren't going to learn how to get along with everyone from this book.This isn't a zero star book because the author does aggregate academic research done on the topics she discussed. I came across roughly a dozen new concepts or facts to think about which made the book worthwhile. The author is passionate about the subject and you will learn something with a careful read.These aren't major issues but little things like mentioning TED talks throughout, name dropping Bill Maher and Aziz Ansari, living in Portland, calling the New York Times "a world-renowned news agency that we should learn from," and calling a guy who started the Citizens of the World Charter School a hero of education are circumstantial evidence of the author being more prone than usual to fluff and psychobabble. The author also has an immature writing style using words like awesome constantly.

Whether you are awkward or suave, male or female, introvert or extrovert, you need to read this book. And re-read it and do the exercises and hack human behavior for real, possibly for the first time in your life.You will learn what makes people tick.Vanessa seeks out the latest published results in the science of human behavior and then takes that fascinating material and turns it into experiments which she and her team use to show us how people work. Then they test the results and reset if necessary.This book will help you fine tune your BS meter scientifically, show you why some people are successful on shark tank and how you can "add sparks to your conversation" to become unforgettable.You will learn people skills that will change your life.I have been studying this kind of information, back-checking from popular press articles to the scientific papers, since before I started speaking professionally in 1990 about networking, marketing and personal as well as product brand.What is new here is the cogent development of a systematic way to gather information and use it to build a better you.This is a systematic scientific approach researched in the real world. It works.You've heard of IQ and EQ. This is about PQ.PQ is a way of measuring your interpersonal intelligence. The stronger your PQ, the higher your probability of making more money, being a top performer, being happier and more fulfilled. Those outcomes are for real. They are based on the research.A simple test shows you where you need work.Yes, I'm studying you and perhaps listening a little more. It's because I took the PQ test and used the results to tell me where to really buckle down and study the simple but elegant ways to become more proficient. The microexpression flash cards really proved helpful to me. I could go on but you need to stop wasting your time on reviews.Stop reading about the book and buy it now.You won't regret it.

Schönes Buch mit tollen inhalten um Authenthisch seine Sozialen Interaktionen aufzubessern und bessere Verbindungen aufzubauen.

Super useful information. I did find some sections hard to get through but the information is priceless. A lot taken from this book. Excellent content.

C’est de mon point de vue le meilleur livre qui ait jamais été écris sur les relations sociales : l’auteur a réussi à créer un condensé de je ne sais combien d’études et d’autres livres sur le sujet. C’est d’ailleurs très accessible et rempli d’humour. J’ai adoré !

This books teaches you, how to behave in a social situations. And how to make a good and everlasting expression on other, very useful book for day to day life. Understanding and following the principle of this book will help you improve the personal and professional relationship with other people. This book is written more like a semester book, gives practical social theory like Franklin effects, the big 5 theory etc. Worth the money and time.

A autora possui uma redação simples e de conteúdo realmente eficiente e baseado em experiências reais. Vale à pena conferir!