Preorder Now · October 2026
How to Be Instantly Likeable
in Any Interaction
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About the Book
The powerful, proven blueprint for confident conversations and meaningful connection. In Conversation, behavior researcher and bestselling author Vanessa Van Edwards delivers a practical, science-backed playbook for transforming how you show up in any situation. Grounded in two decades of research, the book gives you a step-by-step system for becoming instantly likeable, ending awkward silences forever, and turning every interaction into genuine connection. Published by Portfolio/Penguin Random House, October 2026.
What if every conversation — with your boss, your partner, a stranger at a party — felt natural, energizing, and real? There are three levels to every relationship, and most people are stuck on level one. Conversation shares the exact blueprint you need to move from casual acquaintance to trusted confidant to lifelong ally.
What You'll Master
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Own the First Ten Seconds
Before you've said a single meaningful word, people have already formed an impression. Here's how to make sure it's the right one.
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Never Be Stuck for Words Again
The fear of awkward silence is one of the most universal human anxieties. There's a simple fix — and once you know it, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it.
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Command Any High-Stakes Room
Boardroom. First date. Difficult confrontation. There's a specific way to create an atmosphere where people feel safe enough to be honest — and it works every time.
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Say the Hard Thing Without Losing the Relationship
There's a formula for delivering uncomfortable truths in a way that makes people respect you more, not less. It's learnable. It's repeatable. And it works.
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Read Anyone in Minutes
People tell you who they are constantly — in the words they choose, the things they avoid, the stories they keep coming back to. Once you know what to listen for, you can't unhear it.
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Become the Person People Never Forget
Not because you were the loudest, the funniest, or the most impressive. Because you made them feel something rare: completely, unmistakably seen.
About Vanessa Van Edwards
Vanessa Van Edwards didn't start out as a natural. She started out as someone who dreaded small talk, overthought every interaction, and once lost her dream career opportunity because she didn't know how to connect with the people in the room.
So she did what researchers do: she went looking for answers. Nearly twenty years. Thousands of interviews. Hundreds of studies. Millions of people reached through her work at Science of People — and bestselling books Captivate and Cues, translated into 18 languages.
Conversation is her deepest, most practical work yet. The exact Conversation Blueprint she teaches at Harvard University and uses with teams at Fortune 500 companies. If you've ever felt like connection should come more naturally than it does — it was written for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is Conversation by Vanessa Van Edwards about?
- Conversation is a practical, science-backed playbook for transforming how you show up in any situation. It introduces the Conversation Blueprint — a three-level framework for how all meaningful relationships develop, from first impressions to lifetime bonds. You'll learn how to break the ice without being awkward, stop overthinking what to say next, pose the 9 power questions that level up any relationship, and decode people's personality patterns so you're never guessing how to respond.
- When does the Conversation book come out?
- Conversation: How to Be Instantly Likeable in Any Interaction publishes in October 2026 from Portfolio, an imprint of Penguin Random House. Preorders are available now in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats.
- Is Conversation available in my country?
- Conversation is available to preorder now in the US, UK, Canada, Australia, and India — use the format tabs above to find a retailer in your region. If you don't see your country listed yet, more are on the way. We add retailers to this page as the book becomes available in each territory, so check back as the October 2026 release approaches.
- Who is the Conversation book for?
- If you feel like you were never taught the unspoken rules for how to interact with others, this book is for you. Whether you're an introvert who dreads networking, a professional navigating high-stakes meetings, someone who craves close friendships but overanalyzes every interaction, or you simply want to be seen as confident and genuinely likable without feeling fake or forced — Conversation gives you the blueprint.
- What is the Conversation Blueprint?
- The Conversation Blueprint is a three-level framework that governs every successful relationship. Level 1 (Put People at Ease) teaches you to break social scripts and make anyone comfortable. Level 2 (Connect Deeply) helps you uncover someone's goals, worries, and values. Level 3 (Create Meaning) is where the deepest human connections are made — where you discover the stories people tell about themselves and who they hope to become.
- What are the 9 power questions?
- There are 9 questions in the book — 3 for each level of the Conversation Blueprint. Three questions put people instantly at ease. Three uncover secret dreams and personal concerns. And three create the kind of deep meaning that changes relationships permanently. In 9 questions, you could change your team, find your partner, or unlock a friendship that's been stuck on the surface for years.
- What are Vanessa Van Edwards' other books?
- Vanessa is also the bestselling author of Captivate: The Science of Succeeding with People (2017) and Cues: Master the Secret Language of Charismatic Communication (2022). Both books have been translated into 18 languages. Conversation is her third book with Portfolio/Penguin Random House.