Captivate

The Science of Succeeding with People

By: Vanessa Van Edwards

Narrated by: Vanessa Van Edwards

Do you wish you could decode people? Do you want a formula for charisma? Do you want to know exactly what to say to your boss, your date or your networking partner? You need to know how people work.

As a human behavior investigator, Vanessa Van Edwards studies the hidden forces that drive our behavior patterns in her lab—and she’s cracked the code. In Captivate she shares a wealth of valuable shortcuts, systems and behavior hacks for taking charge of their interactions at work, at home, and in any social situation. These aren’t the people skills you learned in school. This is the first comprehensive, science backed, real life manual on human behavior and a completely new approach to building connections.

Just like knowing the right formulas to use in chemistry, or the right programming language to write code, the hacks in this book are simple ways to solve for people. For example:

· The Social Game Plan: Every party, networking event and social situation has a predictable map – discover how to work a room and the sweet spot for making the most connections.
· The 7 Microexpressions: Learn how to speed-read the 7 universal facial expressions and how they can be used to predict people’s emotions.
· Conversation Sparks: All conversations can be hacked—if you know how certain words generate dopamine in the people you meet.

When you understand the laws of human behavior you can get along with anyone, and your influence, impact, and income will increase as a result. What’s more, you will improve your interpersonal intelligence, make a killer first impression, and build rapport quickly and authentically in any situation—negotiations, interviews, parties, and pitches. You will never interact in the same way again.

*Bonus PDF included with quizzes, graphs, and illustrations.

Critic reviews

“Everything Vanessa does is captivating, but this book is her masterpiece. Nearly every page contains surprising insights and practical tips to help you succeed more in life.”
—CHRIS GUILLEBEAU, author of The Happiness of Pursuit and host of Side Hustle School

“If you’ve ever thought ‘I hope they have a dog at this dinner party so that I don’t have to talk to anyone,' read this book. Hello Captivate, good-bye awkward moments.”
—JON ACUFF, author of Do Over

“There is a big difference between faking your way into building relationships and deeply un­derstanding the science of what makes people tick so that you can naturally and effectively connect with them. Captivate teaches this science in a fun and accessible way, so that you apply the learning in your everyday life, growing your network, influence, and impact.”
—PAMELA SLIM, author of Body of Work

“This book is rewarding regardless of your level of skill in getting along with others.”
—ART MARKMAN, PhD, coauthor of Brain Briefs

“Captivate is packed full of useful information for anyone interested in improving their social skills—it’s a must read.”
—JOE NAVARRO, former FBI agent, body language expert, and author of What Every BODY is Saying

“In Captivate, Vanessa Van Edwards has not only decoded the secret formula for what makes people tick, she also explains how to harness and put the latest people science into action.”
—JORDAN HARBINGER, founder of The Art of Charm

“Full of helpful tips, actionable anecdotes, and fascinating research, Captivate is the consummate wingman (or woman)—a book you’ll hear whispering in your ears, giving you social superpowers.”
—JENNY BLAKE, author of Pivot

“Vanessa Van Edwards is pure gold, and this book is an invaluable guide to harnessing the science of what makes people tick. A must read if you want to use its power for good inside your company, cause, or career.”
—CHASE JARVIS, CEO of CreativeLive

Listen at .75 Speed !

There's great information in this book, but it's hard to keep up with sometimes. Try listening at a slower speed. I listened to the whole book this way.

One of the best books I ever read on people!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I learned a lot! Being on my own self-development journey for the last 15 years plus being a certified life coach; I didn’t think it was so much more information about people that I didn’t know or better yet; not applying to my life and relationships. Thanks Vanessa for answering to the call and putting this masterpiece together to help us help others as we help ourselves. I will be reading and/or listening to this book again.

So good I didn’t want it to end!

This book will change your life! Jam packed with super useful tools to implement right away, more skills that will take to to grasp and get good at but very worth the effort, and all kinds of resources made available on her website to further your learning and understanding. Narrated by the author herself una friendly and conversational tone that is very pleasant to listen to, almost feels like hanging out with your bestie. Two thumbs up!

Very useful, on my listen again list

Fascinating and very helpful. Especially for handling networking events and decoding difficult people. Definitely will listen to this audio book again.

Introvert - gained courage to engage

Now that I have the hacks, I am armed to fight the battles of social awkwardness. Thank you for sharing and encouraging us to test the hacks. I am going to start today!

learn so much from it. I HEART Captivate!

i love the book and the narrator BOTH.
i like Vanessa's sense of humor and the language of this both is so casual.
love all the sample it gives
definitely will follow this writer for others books.
Vanessa is my style of author
I listen to it twice already and still feel learning new point
an absolute recommendation for all of my friend
🙃🌺🥀

Must read!!

If you are thinking about reading this book, stop thinking. This book will help you in every area of your life. Just do it.

a must-listen!

Vanessa's narration and content kept me engaged and interested throughout the whole book. I find myself to be an outgoing person and found her tips/insight useful for making new connections/strengthening existing connections.

Practical, insightful, engaging

I found this audio easy to listen to as well as practical. It also has great examples of how to apply the approaches.

Read it.

One of my favorite books ever - it was truly transformative for me and helped to ease the stage fright I get in social situations.