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Vanessa Van Edwards speaking

The People Intelligence system for professionals who've hit a ceiling

You're accomplished. You deliver results. But the next promotion, the board seat, the room that opens up — that's not about working harder. It's about how people experience you.

Used by teams at Google, Microsoft, and Amazon. One student landed a $100K raise. Another had a role created just for her.

Compare Your Path Watch the Video

Next live Executive workshop: Thursday, May 14 · 12:00pm PDT

People School is Vanessa Van Edwards' most advanced curriculum — developed over two decades of research with real professionals. Deeper than her Harvard lectures, more comprehensive than her bestselling books. Twelve modules that build on each other to give you a complete system for reading people, building trust, and becoming the person others want in the room.

Join People School

Wait — do you actually need this?

"I already know how to communicate."

You probably do. But here's what we see with nearly every professional who joins:

The skills that got you here are not the skills that get you there.

Past a certain point, everyone around you is competent. The differentiator is how you make people feel — in negotiations, in cross-functional meetings, in the hallway after. Accelerator gives self-starters the full system. Executive adds a coach, cohort, and 33.5 SHRM Professional Development Credits.

What People Intelligence gives you

Win High-Stakes Conversations

Negotiate compensation, align executives, and handle conflict with frameworks that keep you in control.

Build Strategic Relationships

Turn networking into genuine alliances that open doors to roles, deals, and opportunities.

Accelerate Into Senior Leadership

Close the gap between delivering great work and being seen as a leader.

Read Any Room in Real Time

Decode nonverbal signals, spot hidden agendas, and adjust your approach mid-conversation.

Become the Person Others Follow

Develop presence that makes people listen, trust your judgment, and want you on their team.

Perform Under Social Pressure

Stay sharp in board presentations, high-profile introductions, and politically charged meetings.

Meet Your Guide

Vanessa Van Edwards

Behavioral researcher, bestselling author, and Harvard instructor. Her books Captivate and Cues have been translated into 18 languages, and her research reaches over 300 million people a year.

Clients include Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta, and Comcast. She has spoken at MIT, Stanford, and SXSW, and her work has been featured on CNN, BBC, CBS Mornings, Fast Company, and The Today Show.

People School is her most advanced work — the complete system she spent a decade building with 10,000+ students.

Vanessa Van Edwards

What's In People School

The same system, with the level of support you need to actually change behavior.

12 Core Training Modules

12 Core Training Modules

Step-by-step video modules with Vanessa's proven curriculum and Q&A.

People Skills Index + Rehearsal Tools

People Skills Index + Rehearsal Tools

Measure your blind spots, then practice the conversations that matter before the stakes are real.

50+ Bonuses

50+ Bonuses

Swipe files, workshops, scripts, glossaries, audio, transcripts, and practical tools inside the program.

Two Ways In

Two Ways In

Accelerator for self-starters. Executive when you want a coach in your corner.

The 12 People Intelligence Skills

Each skill builds on the last. Together they form a complete system.

1

The Charisma Formula

Make a great first impression every time.

2

Prime Your Performance

Get people to take notice of your ideas.

3

Become Engaging

Master the nonverbal cues of trust and power.

4

Capture Attention

Start interesting conversations, keep them going, and pitch your ideas.

5

Build Trust

Create genuine connections that people can count on and believe in.

6

Harness Power

Own your presence and confidently take control in every setting.

7

The Likability Blueprint

Make an authentic impact and be the person everyone wants to be around.

8

Decode People

Go beyond words — understand people deeply by decoding their hidden signals.

9

The Conversation Blueprint

Make every conversation count and build relationships that matter.

10

Assert Yourself

Say what you mean and mean what you say — without hesitation.

11

Increase Your Influence

Influence isn't about power — it's about inspiring others. Here's how to do it authentically.

12

Strengthen Connections

Learn to build connections that feel real, last longer, and add value to every part of your life.

Included with your enrollment

That's the system. Executive adds the application layer.

Executive

Executive includes everything in Accelerator, plus weekly group coaching, a peer cohort, live workshops, community, and the extra skill enhancements that help the work stick.

Live Workshops

Vanessa answers your questions and pressure-tests your strategies live. New mini-courses based on what students need most.

Accountability Coaching

Weekly group coaching with your coach and a peer cohort. Resume reviews, profile makeovers, real interview prep.

Private Practice Rooms

Rehearse the raise call, the interview, the hard 1:1 — and see how you actually come across before the stakes are real.

Practice before the stakes

ProSocial rehearsal tools

Thirteen tools for diagnosing blind spots, rehearsing tough conversations, calibrating charisma, improving resumes, and preparing for career-defining moments.

  • People Skills Index (PSI) — Find your blind spots in 7 minutes. A measurable read on the 7 universal skills that decide whether people trust you, listen to you, and want you in the room.
  • Practice-Before-Stakes Roleplay — Run live voice rehearsals of the conversations that matter — get coaching on warmth, competence, and how you actually come across.
  • Conversation Starters — A library of openers that work in real situations — networking, hallways, cold approaches — without the awkwardness.
  • Logline Workshop — Sharpen your one-line pitch — the version of who you are that people remember and repeat.
  • Charisma Coach — Specific feedback on the cues that make you trustworthy and competent — and where you’re losing the room without realizing it.
  • Microexpression Training — Read the seven universal facial expressions in real time. Spot what someone is actually feeling before they say it.
  • Expression Analysis — Watch yourself on video and see exactly how you come across — confidence, warmth, presence — then close the gap.
  • Resume Enhancement — Rewrite your resume to read like leadership. Every bullet calibrated for warmth, competence, and the role you actually want.
  • Career Alignment — Match your experience to the roles where you’ll actually win. Spot the gaps between where you are and where you want to land.
  • ATS Optimizer — Get past the algorithm. See the keywords your resume is missing for the jobs you’re applying to.
  • Interview Prep — Pre-built rehearsals for the interviews on your calendar — the hard questions, the behavioral asks, the salary conversation.
  • Salary Negotiation — Practice the raise call before it happens — the ask, the counter, and the silence that gets you paid more.
  • Follow-up Writer — Write the email that actually gets replied to — checked for warmth, competence, and the friction-free ask.

5 Bonus Courses ($1,083 value)

$397 value

Body Language Mastery

Discover 20 nonverbal communication rules. Fifteen years of research distilled into practical strategies for presence, confidence, and influence.

$349 value

Decode Microexpressions

Read faces and hidden emotions with step-by-step instructions and practical exercises.

$149 value

Powerful Presentations

Speak confidently in video calls, on stage, and in meetings. Get Vanessa's templates, openers, and stage tips.

$149 value

Lie Detection

Learn to detect deception and seek the truth in personal and professional relationships.

$39 value

Conversation Mastery

Have confident, engaging conversations anywhere. Handle difficult conversations and avoid awkward silences.

Accelerator starts at $997. Executive is $2,495 and includes the coaching layer, community, and SHRM credits.

Bonus Learning

Included inside the People School bonus library

Audio + Transcripts

Listen to People School at the gym, while you cook, or on your commute. Downloadable audio for every module.

Get Your Raise or Raise Your Rates

Vanessa's formula for confidently asking for a raise and increasing your rates as an entrepreneur.

Micro Wins: The Science of Productivity

Vanessa's productivity system, built around small wins that compound.

Find Your People

Practical exercises to find the people who bring out the best in you — and recognize the ones who don’t.

Cold Approaches

Vanessa's framework for joining a group conversation in progress without it feeling awkward.

Deal with Difficult People at Work

Spot the personality patterns at play and respond without losing your footing.

Students come from companies large and small in more than 100 countries.

Johnson & JohnsonGoogleMicrosoftCiscoKaiser PermanenteThriventKPMGWalmartAbbVieFDICIntelMorgan StanleyVerizonNBCMcDonald'sU.S. NavySephoraMcKinsey & CompanyHoneywellDuPontTicketmasterAccentureGenslerSAPTD BankHertzCapgeminiGeorgia TechCity National BankGoldcorpBungieTrelloRogersNational GridQNBAndersenHard Rock HotelDISH NetworkSalesforceCharles SchwabCarnegie Mellon UniversityJoint Information Operations Warfare CenterAustralian Defence ForceIndian Health ServiceU.S. Air Force

What Students Say

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Join People School Talk to Us

Which path is right for you?

✓ Accelerator is for you if...

  • You want the full People School curriculum and every practice tool
  • You're motivated by your own goals — you don't need someone else to keep you on track
  • You'd rather move at your own pace than wait for a weekly call

✓ Executive is for you if...

  • You have a real meeting, interview, conflict, negotiation, or relationship you want to nail
  • You want feedback from other high-achieving professionals — and a network that grows with you
  • You move faster with weekly group coaching than going it alone
  • You want visible ROI this quarter, not next year

✗ This is NOT for you if...

  • You want to manipulate people: We teach authentic communication, not mind games.
  • You want a quick fix: Each skill becomes part of your People Development Plan. It works if you do the work.
  • You think you already know everything about communication: If you're not open to discovering blind spots — the gap between how you think you come across and how you actually do — this program will frustrate you.

Next live Executive workshop: Thursday, May 14 · 12:00pm PDT

Start with Accelerator on your own terms, or choose Executive for coaching, cohort support, and SHRM credits.

For self-starters

Accelerator

Build the people skills that get you noticed, trusted, and promoted — on your own schedule.

$997 one-time

Pay in full or split into 3 monthly payments

Curriculum

  • 12-module People School curriculum
  • Workbook with frameworks and assignments
  • In-depth People Skills Index profile

Practice

  • Private rehearsal rooms (30 days)

Plus

  • Certificate of Completion
Start Accelerator

Affirm, Klarna & Afterpay available at checkout where supported.

Questions? Talk to us
Recommended

For high achievers

Executive

Become the person others want in the room when the stakes are highest.

$2,495 one-time

Pay in full or split into 3 monthly payments

  • + Everything in Accelerator

Personal from Vanessa

  • Personal pitch review from Vanessa (20-min recorded breakdown)
  • Or LinkedIn, dating, or social profile makeover (no pitch needed)
Included for 12 months
  • Full People School + membership access
  • On-demand profile makeover (LinkedIn, dating, social)
  • Monthly office hours with Vanessa
  • Assigned coach + weekly group coaching
  • Mock interview, negotiation, or raise prep
  • Peer feedback from your executive cohort
  • Private community, executives only

Recognition

  • Executive badge in the community
  • 33.5 SHRM PDCs (SHRM-CP / SHRM-SCP)

Next live workshop · Thursday, May 14 · 12:00pm PDT

Start Executive

Affirm, Klarna & Afterpay available at checkout where supported.

Questions? Talk to us

Both tiers covered by a 7-day promise. If it's not the right fit, email us for a full refund.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is People School? +

People School is the only science-based people skills program developed with 10,000+ students. It's a complete career-communication and social-performance system: specific strategies, live examples, formulas, starter scripts, and a step-by-step plan.

Which tier should I start with? +

Accelerator is our base package — the full 12-module curriculum, ProSocial training tools, PSI assessments, and bonuses, built for self-starters who want to drive their own progress. Choose Executive if you want weekly group coaching with a People School coach and a cohort of high-achieving peers, plus help applying every skill to your real meetings, interviews, and conversations. Not sure? Take the 3-minute People Skills Blind Spot Quiz and we'll recommend a path.

What if I'm an introvert? +

People School is built so you don't have to be the loudest person in the room — just the most readable one. The science is the same; the application is calibrated for warmth and presence over volume. Many of our most engaged students describe themselves as introverts or ambiverts.

How long does it take to complete People School? +

Typically 10–20 hours to go through the entire 12-module curriculum. You can go at your own pace. Many students retake portions before important negotiations, networking events, or interviews.

How is this different from books, podcasts, or other soft-skills training? +

Books and podcasts get you started. People School is built to help you master people skills with structured curriculum, practice tools, and — at the Accelerator and Executive levels — live support and accountability that turn information into behavior change.

Who teaches People School? +

The curriculum was developed by Vanessa Van Edwards after 10+ years of research with 5M+ students worldwide. Vanessa anchors live workshops; trained People School coaches handle accountability and 1:1 application work at the Executive level.

Can I upgrade later? +

Yes. You can upgrade from Accelerator to Executive within the first 12 months of your Accelerator enrollment, with your Accelerator payment credited toward Executive.

Can I get reimbursed by my employer? +

Many employers cover this as professional development. We provide receipts and can draft a manager approval letter explaining how People School benefits you and your company.

Does it count for Continuing Education? +

Yes — Executive includes 33.5 SHRM Professional Development Credits (PDCs) toward SHRM-CP® or SHRM-SCP® recertification. SHRM credits are not included with Accelerator.

What’s your refund policy? +

Try People School for 7 days. If it’s not the right fit, email us within 7 days for a refund. The same 7-day window applies to Executive — coach matching begins after purchase, and if you decide it’s not the right fit, we’ll refund you or help move you to the right tier.

Don't see your question? Email support@scienceofpeople.com

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