Master Your People Skills

Overview

Watch now – this video will only be available on The Great Courses Plus until November 7th. Learn how to inspire, influence, and engage people in this life-changing program with Vanessa Van Edwards.

Have you ever walked into a room filled with strangers and felt awkward? Have you wondered where to stand, or felt unsure about how to start up a conversation, or questioned how to reply if someone spoke to you? Chances are the answers to those questions are “yes”—because we all have felt that way at one time or another. No matter what subjects you studied in school, you may never have truly learned the skills you need to navigate that crowded room—and so many other social and business situations. You just were not given all the tools you needed to succeed.

Build your social skills toolbox with Master Your People Skills, an immersive, science-based course to help you understand yourself and those around you in brand new ways. In 31 captivating lessons, you will learn dozens of specific people skills to increase success in your family, business, and intimate relationships. When your expert, Vanessa Van Edwards, realized that she needed some help with people skills—when she realized she would not be able to accomplish her social or professional goals without them—she turned to books. The books she read made a few good points but never taught her how to apply that information. And so, nothing really changed in her life. That is why Vanessa will not only teach the skills you need to learn, but also how to apply each skill in your daily life.

Before teaching these vital people skills, Vanessa busts three significant myths about the subject: people skills are not important, you don’t need any help with your people skills, and only extroverts have good people skills. None of that is true. Each skill you will learn in this course is science-based, meaning that it was developed by top researchers at academic or clinical institutions and presented in peer-reviewed journals. You can trust this research as you learn to become likable without having to be a people-pleaser, assertive and direct with your opinions without being aggressive, and influential as opposed to manipulative. No matter where you are on your life’s journey, Master Your People Skills will help you understand your own life and the lives of those around you better, leading to greater success in your relationships and every kind of social situation.

Course Structure

1. People Intelligence
   Duration: 104 min
   Explore the full definition of people skills and how improving those skills can help you in all areas of your life—professionally, romantically, and socially. In this lesson, you’ll also become familiar with the nine different intelligences we can all access. You’ll learn how to identify which are your personal primary and secondary types of intelligence.
2. Detox Your Life
   Duration: 52 min
   While creative people and entrepreneurs are usually told they need to say “yes” to every opportunity that comes their way, that is not the case. Discover the value of saying “no” when appropriate and the best way to do that. Learn how to minimize toxicity in your life by understanding and implementing boundaries so you can better make space to focus on what’s essential.
3. Harness Charisma
   Duration: 50 min
   Everyone recognizes a person with charisma when they walk into the room, and studies show almost everyone wants to be charismatic. Learn about the most important qualities all charismatic people share, and how you can develop those characteristics—whether you are an extrovert or an introvert. You will also focus on developing your personal mission statement.
4. Captivate Your Audience
   Duration: 49 min
   Learn how to make a strong first impression—whether in a group or with an individual—by commanding authentic attention. Learn how the brain responds chemically to a good story, and how you can harness that storytelling power to captivate an audience. Discover specific tips for using stories to your benefit both socially and professionally, and why you should always end with follow-up questions.
5. Create Spark
   Duration: 44 min
   Once you have someone’s attention, how do you create “the spark” to make that person want to connect with you more deeply? Discover the role your body language plays in exhibiting confidence, and how your mood can become contagious to those around you. Learn the “launch stance”—how to stand in a way that will attract people to you but not be overbearing.
6. The Art of Conversation
   Duration: 39 min
   Discover why the art of conversation is more accurately the art of listening, and how that ability to listen fully—as opposed to wishful hearing—is related to Maslow’s hierarchy of needs. Explore how you can use the “RUC Technique” socially and at work to better meet your own goals and those of your conversation partners.
7. Surprise!
   Duration: 39 min
   Studies show that surprising someone triggers their dopamine, boosts their creative thinking, and increases their cognitive abilities—all of which make them feel better about themselves. And given that the brain remembers the unusual more strongly than the mundane, surprising someone will increase the chance of them remembering you, whether for that next round of job interviews or that next date.
8. How to Be Memorable
   Duration: 38 min
   Almost all of us feel anxious or challenged in certain social interactions, but it doesn’t have to be that way. Research shows that admitting your mistakes or vulnerabilities and asking for help makes you more human, more relatable, and more memorable. Learn how Benjamin Franklin put this to good use in Congress, and why it is now called the “Franklin Effect.”
9. Be the Highlight
   Duration: 35 min
   Learn how to be the person who lights up the room every time you walk in. Contrary to popular belief, this does not mean using razzle dazzle techniques to impress anyone. Instead, you’ll discover how to both maintain a sense of optimism and allow others to impress you, so that you become their “highlighter.” By helping others feel better when they’re around you, you become more memorable and attractive.
10. Personality Matrix
    Duration: 63 min
    Take a deep dive into identifying the many components of your own personality by learning to create your personality matrix, identifying your strengths and current challenges. You’ll also explore the aspect of your brain function called lensing, how it might work against you in social interactions, and what you can do to get around its limitations.
11. Optimizing Interaction
    Duration: 40 min
    Discover the personality traits research has shown to be associated with leadership success and long-term happiness for intimate couples, and which traits make it most difficult to achieve success. You will explore how to change your own personality if you’d like—using the Free Trait Theory—optimizing your natural traits to achieve the goals you identified in your personal mission statement.
12. How to Speed-Read People
    Duration: 52 min
    Learn about the Platinum Rule, how it improves upon the Golden Rule and how it will help you improve your interactions with others. Discover the fastest way to “speed read” people, to figure out not only who they are, but what they’re really looking for from you—by not only asking them questions, but by learning what their body language is telling you.
13. Conquer Your Fears
    Duration: 29 min
    You are not the only person who suffers from imposter syndrome. As you’ll see in this lesson, you are not alone in your fears, no matter what they are. Explore the many ways your fears affect your social interactions and learn the positive actions you can take to address those situations before, during, and after they arise.
14. Creating Value
    Duration: 36 min
    How can you bring value to a business connection or an intimate partner if you don’t know what that person truly values? Discover the nine value languages that will help you understand human motivation and create deeper bonds. Understanding an individual’s personal mission statement gives you the opportunity to bring value to that relationship in the way they care about the most.
15. Halfway Check-In
    Duration: 26 min
    In this lesson, you will “listen in” while people call in with personal questions about various people skills. From relationships in which the individuals might have conflicting values, to families or business groups in which one person bullies the others, and more, you will have the opportunity to hear Vanessa answer many questions on the spot. And they might be just the ones you were also wondering about.
16. People Hacks
    Duration: 50 min
    Learn about the brain research of Dr. Daniel Amen, a pioneer in using modern technology to discover how the brain learns. Building on that information, you’ll be able to use “brain gym exercises” to strengthen your learning process and reduce fears related to public speaking and other social situations. Learn the hacks that can connect you to your peers and your audience more quickly than you would have thought.
17. The Wow Formula
    Duration: 47 min
    Learn the specific logistics that will help you through any social interaction. Where to stand, where not to stand. When to talk, when to listen. How to help others be comfortable when you notice their awkwardness. From the way to enter the room to the science of the final handshake—these are the details that make up the “wow formula.”
18. The Psychology of Attraction
    Duration: 42 min
    Learn the three secrets of attraction and how you can implement them in your own life both at work and in your personal relationships. Perhaps surprisingly, research reveals that looks play only a small role in attraction. Explore the real factors that cause us to know immediately that we want to spend more time with a particular individual. You’ll also learn why men and women respond to stress very differently.
19. Building Connection
    Duration: 41 min
    Attachment theory states that humans have an innate need for deep attachment to other people. While usually discussed in terms of the infant/parent bond, you’ll discover the many ways in which your personal attachment style affects all your relationships from business to intimate partnerships, how to deepen the connections you already have, and even how to change your attachment style if that would serve you better.
20. Finding Love
    Duration: 43 min
    Explore the three elements of love—attachment, caring, and intimacy—and learn how to support and become the best possible lover for your partner. You’ll also learn about the five love languages to better determine the way you and your partner each prefer to be shown love or appreciation. And discover the many ways the love languages can apply to your business as well, as you build and keep your client base.
21. Successful Communication
    Duration: 33 min
    With the tools and techniques that you’ll learn in this lesson, you will become much more successful in connecting with someone on the deepest level when you communicate your needs and desires. Discover values-based communication to develop a symbiosis in which both people are benefiting, and the specific communication formula that can improve your path to success.
22. Brand Personality
    Duration: 43 min
    Explore the worth of human capital assets as a source of wealth for your business. Learn to invest in human capital by helping someone else become what they want to be—tying your brand to your ideal customer’s brand and both improving together. Discover the ways this investment can be applied to personal relationships as well as business relationships.
23. How to Inspire
    Duration: 40 min
    Explore the six different styles of inspiration and the goal of each style. Discover why your own style of inspiring others might vary depending on your relationship with the person you’re speaking to. Learn how to flexibly adapt your inspiration style to make a bigger impact with your message—both in business and in personal relationships.
24. The Science of Leadership
    Duration: 42 min
    Explore how the functionality of a strong leader’s brain sets them apart from others. Discover what you can learn about leadership by considering their increased brain activity in areas related to planning and foresight, handling emotions, processing new situations and information, self-soothing, and more. Your neuroplasticity gives you the opportunity to improve your own responses in these areas.
25. Human Vampires
    Duration: 46 min
    Each of us has experienced a relationship with someone we find very difficult—whether an old friend, a coworker, or even a family member. Explore the four types of difficult people and what behind-the-scenes feelings might be causing their prickly behavior. What is the best way to respond to difficult people, and why is it that arguing and rational thoughts don’t necessarily work?
26. Persuasion
    Duration: 52 min
    Explore the many types of persuasion and learn how to use them to motivate people in all areas of your life. Learn about the reciprocity norm and the yes ladder, and how they can help you motivate others. You’ll also explore the power of the question and how asking more questions can lead to a greater ability to persuade.
27. Supercharge Your Sales
    Duration: 55 min
    Learn about the concept of social proof and the powerful ways in which it influences all our lives—from the testimonials and ratings we post, to the products we buy every day. Explore the laws of persuasion and how understanding your clients’ pain points will help you pitch your ideas, get buy-in, and close the deal.
28. Digital People Skills
    Duration: 43 min
    Explore the specific tips, tricks, and rules that will help you present your most positive and persuasive self in the digital realm. Learn about “vaguebooking,” and why you should avoid it in your business and personal communications. Discover the importance of reciprocity, why it matters in all communication, and why it is the number one rule of digital life.
29. Awesome Club
    Duration: 39 min
    Explore the potential power of an Awesome Club—a close knit group of like-minded individuals who come together to offer support, help, and accountability. Learn about the neuroscience that suggests your brain makes better decisions with input from a variety of sources, and why combining strengths can lead to true genius and creativity.
30. Your People Plan
    Duration: 38 min
    Learn why developing empathy and compassion is crucial to your success, both in business and your personal life. Explore how empathy can lead to having fulfilling and deep relationships with others, not only in your social life, but also in your professional life. We are born with an innate sense of empathy; we just need to relearn that it’s all right to use it as adults.
31. Live Check-In
    Duration: 23 min
    In this lesson, Vanessa explains what materials from this course and what types of support will continue to be available for you as you build your own action plan going forward. She also takes questions from a live international audience, and you will hear her answers in real-time about topics that include reciprocity, awesome clubs, negative thinking, and more.