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5 Ways to Captivate Your Readers
How Vanessa Van Edwards’ hacks for improving your social interactions can also improve your writing
In my early 20s, I almost met and married Matt Damon. I’ll tell you the rest of this story at the end of this article. (Yes, this is a gimmick, but there’s a lesson in it — I promise!)
But before we get into that, let me switch gears.
As a socially awkward introvert looking forward to returning to “normal” after the pandemic, I’m both excited and nervous about the promise of public gatherings. In typical nerd fashion, I decided to read up on how to improve my social skills and checked out “Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People” by Vanessa Van Edwards. The book offers a series of hacks for sparking interesting conversations and building your network.
As I considered her tips, I realized they apply to attracting readers as well. Here are the five things I’ve learned.
1. Avoid Small Talk
In the context of socializing, Van Edwards recommends avoiding small talk. Asking questions like “Been busy?” or “How’s it going?” or “What do you do?” lulls us into typical social scripts and makes conversations dull and forgettable.
