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The Social Skills Course for Teens

Good With People

Sixty short lessons that teach teenagers how to start conversations, make friends, handle teasing, and stay steady when things get awkward. Most lessons end with something to practice in places your teen already goes: the hallway, the lunch table, the bus. The first four practice steps don't involve talking at all.

60Video + written lessons
45Real-world exercises
11Modules
10,000+Hours coaching teens and adults
See Enrollment Options · $297

One-time payment · Lifetime access · 30-day money-back guarantee

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John Bush, social skills coach and creator of Good With People

Does this sound like your teen?

Every one of these is covered in Good With People, and most lessons end with a specific exercise. Social skills are learned by doing them, starting with the easy ones, and the course is built that way from the first page.

How It Works

Short lessons, then practice in your teen's real day

The lessons prepare your teen for the exercises, and the exercises are where the change happens. The very first lesson says it plainly: The videos and written lessons are not the part that improves you. They are there to prepare you for the exercises you will perform.

A short video and a full written lesson

Most videos run one to three minutes. The written lesson under each one has the full detail: examples, sample wording, and what to do when something doesn't work.

Practice built into the school day

Holding eye contact as someone walks by. Answering “how's it going” with a real sentence. Asking a classmate what they got for number four. Most reps take a few seconds, and most people around them won't realize they're practicing anything.

One to three skills at a time

Your teen picks one to three exercises and stays with them until they happen without effort, whether that takes days, weeks, or months. Nothing is due, and nothing has to be finished.

It starts with no talking

Step one of the practice ladder is being around people with the phone put away. Speaking starts at step five, and every step has an easier version written out for teens who need it.

Quizzes and checkpoints

Every module ends with a short quiz, and checkpoints between modules ask your teen to look at whether the practice is actually happening before moving on.

Lessons for teens without a built-in group

Homeschooled, between schools, or home for the summer? A full lesson covers finding weekly activities where they'll see the same people, and the course points out the conversation skills homeschooled teens often already have.

The Practice Ladder

Nine steps, starting wherever your teen is

Some teens start on step one. Others start at six or seven, and a few already do all nine. The instruction is the same for everyone: find the step that feels slightly uncomfortable and practice it until it's boring.

No talking at all

  1. 1Be presentPhone away, head up, somewhere there are people.
  2. 2A small smileJust enough that their face stops reading as neutral.
  3. 3Eye contactStarting with a fraction of a second as someone passes, and building from there.
  4. 4Eye contact plus a nod or a small smileA small, friendly acknowledgment.

Talking

  1. 5Say one small thing“That test was brutal.” “Hey.” No answer needed.
  2. 6Ask a questionAny question at all, even “What page are we on?”
  3. 7A short back-and-forthThirty seconds or less is fine.
  4. 8Somebody they don't usually talk toThe new kid, or a classmate they've never spoken to.
  5. 9Join a group already talkingBroken into smaller steps, starting with standing nearby and listening.

The course describes the first four steps this way: Nobody watching you would be able to tell you were doing anything. If the gap between two steps is too big, a whole lesson shows your teen how to break it into smaller steps, as many times as it takes.

Full Curriculum

Every lesson in the course

Eleven modules and sixty lessons, in the order your teen takes them. Open any module to see what each lesson covers. Video times are for the whole module.

01 Getting Started How the course works: get started, don't quit, work on one to three skills at a time, and practice everywhere. 4 lessons
5 min of video
1 exercise
  1. 1.1Two Things The two things the course asks, and why the first steps ask almost nothing.
  2. 1.2Take It Slow Working on one to three skills at a time, and knowing when to add the next one.
  3. 1.3Practice Everywhere Why knowing a skill isn't the same as having it, and what a few-second practice rep looks like at school.
  4. 1.4Failure Is Quitting An awkward moment is practice. The only way to fail is to stop.
02 Getting Your Head Right Deciding who they want to be, talking to themselves in a helpful way, and being honest about nerves. 4 lessons
6 min of video
3 exercises
  1. 2.1Who You Want to Be Four written questions about the kind of person they want to become.
  2. 2.2Affirmations Writing short, present-tense statements and repeating them through the day.
  3. 2.3The Voice in Your Head Treating harsh self-talk like a rude person rather than the truth, and telling it apart from their conscience.
  4. 2.4Being Real Why hiding nerves makes things more awkward, and how to admit them in a low-key way.
03 Dealing with Nerves Being comfortable as themselves, and what to do with nerves, fear, and embarrassment. 5 lessons
10 min of video
4 exercises
  1. 3.1Be Comfortable Being You The idea the course is built on: people relax around someone who is comfortable being themselves. It changes behaviors, not personality.
  2. 3.2Good, or a Funny Story Every small social risk either goes well or becomes a story they can laugh about later.
  3. 3.3Nerves Into Energy Relabeling nerves as excitement, based on a 2014 study from Harvard Business School.
  4. 3.4Go Toward the Fear Treating social fear as a starting bell, with two limits: real danger, and another person's no.
  5. 3.5When You Embarrass Yourself The spotlight effect, and how to respond lightly to an embarrassing moment in front of classmates.
04 How to Practice The nine-step practice ladder, daily goals, breaking hard things into smaller steps, and hearing no. 5 lessons
18 min of video
5 exercises
  1. 4.1The Lower Steps Steps 1 to 4 of the ladder, none of which involve talking, plus a mirror exercise for learning what their smile looks like.
  2. 4.2The Upper Steps Steps 5 to 9, from saying one small thing to joining a group that's already talking.
  3. 4.3Daily Goals Setting a daily number of reps based on what they do, not on how other people respond.
  4. 4.4Break It Down Cutting anything overwhelming into smaller steps, from joining a lunch table to writing a long paper.
  5. 4.5Getting Turned Down Why most no's aren't personal, and asking for small things on purpose to get used to hearing no.
05 Talking With People Listening, follow-up questions, telling a good story, starting conversations, names, and handshakes. 8 lessons
19 min of video
7 exercises
  1. 5.1Get Out of Your Head Listening instead of planning the next sentence, and finding follow-up questions in what people say.
  2. 5.2Make It About Them Being interested in people rather than trying to be interesting.
  3. 5.3Listening for Real Eye contact while listening, not judging, and asking whether someone wants advice or just wants to vent.
  4. 5.4Telling Better Stories Starting inside the action, using specific details, and keeping it under a minute.
  5. 5.5Never Say “Fine” Answering “how's it going” in a way that starts a conversation.
  6. 5.6Statements Beat Questions Opening with a playful, low-stakes statement when questions only get one-word answers.
  7. 5.7Remembering Names Catching a name, using it, and what to do when they've already forgotten it.
  8. 5.8A Good Handshake How to shake hands well, and how to fix one that goes wrong.
06 How You Come Across Eye contact, posture, staying calm under teasing, warmth with new people, and reading the mood of a room. 8 lessons
19 min of video
8 exercises
  1. 6.1Eye Contact When to hold it, when to look away, and a sidewalk drill for building it.
  2. 6.2Standing Like You Belong Posture that shows comfort, with a clear note that slouching never makes anyone responsible for being picked on.
  3. 6.3Staying Steady Not giving a reaction to ordinary teasing, and telling teasing apart from cruelty that an adult should hear about.
  4. 6.4Where Respect Comes From Doing things because they want to, not to impress anyone.
  5. 6.5Assume Warmth Greeting new people with the friendliness they'd give an old friend.
  6. 6.6The First Reaction Why a blank first look usually means confusion, not dislike.
  7. 6.7Match, Then Lift Reading a serious room before trying to lighten it.
  8. 6.8Moods Are Contagious Holding on to a good mood around other people.
07 The Social Defenses Four habits that keep one bad interaction from ruining the day. 6 lessons
18 min of video
5 exercises
  1. 7.1The Four Social Defenses An overview of positive attitude, outcome independence, abundance mentality, and wit.
  2. 7.2Positive Attitude Looking for what's good, useful, or funny in situations and in people.
  3. 7.3Outcome Independence Judging themselves by what they did, not by how someone responded.
  4. 7.4Abundance Mentality Remembering there are more people and more chances, even at a small school.
  5. 7.5Wit Practicing quick humor about the situation, starting in their head before saying anything out loud.
  6. 7.6You're Not Auditioning Treating everyone, including popular or important people, as an equal.
08 Making Friends How friendships form and grow, including people who are left out, repairing a falling-out, and recognizing an unhealthy friendship. 8 lessons
11 min of video
5 exercises
  1. 8.1Where Friends Come From Friendships come from repeated, shared activities, and they can choose those on purpose.
  2. 8.2Turning Acquaintances Into Friends Time together, conversations about more than schoolwork, and making a specific invitation.
  3. 8.3Including People Noticing who is left out and showing them kindness.
  4. 8.4Bringing People In Helping a new or quiet person join the conversation.
  5. 8.5Ending a Conversation Leaving gracefully, and noticing when the other person wants to go.
  6. 8.6Repairing a Friendship Cooling down, apologizing for their own part, and leaving out what the other person did.
  7. 8.7Unhealthy Friendships Spotting a friendship that keeps making them feel worse, letting it fade, and when to bring in a trusted adult.
  8. 8.8When You Don't Have School Finding weekly activities that give homeschooled teens, or anyone between schools or on summer break, the repeated contact that school provides.
09 School Life Changing how classmates see them, reputation, teasing and bullying, and pressure moments like presentations. 4 lessons
9 min of video
3 exercises
  1. 9.1Changing How You Show Up Changing gradually so classmates can adjust, and what to say when someone notices.
  2. 9.2Reputation Why a reputation rests on fewer moments than teens think, and how consistent behavior changes it.
  3. 9.3Handling Teasing and Exclusion Ordinary teasing versus bullying, how to tell an adult without it turning into a big scene, and helping someone else who's being targeted.
  4. 9.4School-Pressure Moments Presentations, tryouts, tests, and getting called on in class.
10 Family and Online Life Parents, siblings, group chats, phones, and friendships that live online. 5 lessons
10 min of video
4 exercises
  1. 10.1Talking With Parents Waiting until everyone is calm, using “I” statements, and listening to a parent's side.
  2. 10.2Siblings Practicing the course's skills at home, and when a sibling relationship needs an adult's help.
  3. 10.3Talking Online Lost tone, fights that escalate fast, the permanent record, and how to cool things down.
  4. 10.4Put the Phone Down Using the urge to check the phone as the signal to talk to someone instead.
  5. 10.5When It's All Online Keeping online friends while adding in-person practice, and talking to a parent before meeting anyone from online.
11 Staying Safe Saying no, people who won't accept a no, and online safety. This module has no exercises. 3 lessons
5 min of video
no exercises
  1. 11.1Your Instincts Outrank Politeness The right to say no to anyone, including adults, and the fact that freezing under pressure is not agreeing.
  2. 11.2When Someone Won't Take No The ways people wear someone down, and telling a trusted adult early.
  3. 11.3Online Safety Three warning signs (secrecy, pressure, and ignoring a no), never sending photos, and talking to a parent before meeting anyone from online.

A Complete Exercise List page puts every exercise in one place, so your teen can pick what to practice next. The last page of the course, You're at the End, is a guide to which lesson to revisit for common problems, like a friendship that has gone cold or a presentation coming up. The optional Crushes and Respect bonus module is separate and described below.

Read the First Page

How the course talks to your teen

This is the opening of the first written lesson, word for word.

Lesson 1.1

Two Things

Two things. That's all this course asks of you.

Get started, and don't quit.

I know that sounds simple when compared to all there is to learn about socializing and being good with people. There are whole books on body language, on conversation skills, on exactly what to say and when to say it. Some of it is useful. Some of it is not. This course is designed to give you the information you need to know in manageable bites so you are not trying to keep 50 things in your head at once.

What “get started” actually looks like

Some courses start with a challenge that may be too tough for you to perform. Others start with hours and hours of background information before you start interacting with people. This course is designed to get you interacting with people as quickly as possible, no matter the current level of your abilities, and to get you practicing the skills every day. You don't need to log into this course every day to progress. You do need to be around other people.

For Parents

Exactly what your teen will read and hear

I'd rather you know what's in this course before you buy it than find out afterward. Everything below comes from the lessons themselves.

Core course

Romance and dating: not taught in the 60 core lessons

Nothing in the core course teaches anything about crushes, dating, or romantic relationships. Romance comes up in exactly four places, each one a caution or a side note:

  • Eye Contact (6.1) notes that a long look from a stranger can be read as a challenge or as interest, so it suggests a shorter glance with people your teen doesn't know.
  • When Someone Won't Take No (11.2) says that pushing past someone's no is not romantic, and it is not a compliment no matter what you might see in movies.
  • The Online Safety video (11.3) says there's no reason that you would ever need photos for an online relationship.
  • The Unhealthy Friendships video (8.7) tells teens to talk to a trusted adult if a friendship or a relationship of any kind has them feeling trapped or controlled.

Crushes are covered only in the separate, optional bonus module described in the next section.

Safety topics, covered directly

Module 11, Staying Safe, has three lessons and no exercises. It teaches that:

  • Their instincts outrank politeness, and they can say no to anyone, including adults and people in authority. In the course's words: No one is entitled to your body, your space, your time, or your compliance because of who they are.
  • Freezing under pressure is common and does not mean you agreed to anything. If something like that has already happened, the lesson tells them to tell a trusted adult, and that it isn't too late.
  • People who won't accept a no often wear someone down over time (asking again later, asking in front of others, guilt, going cold and then warm again), and that's a reason to tell an adult early.
  • Online, the warning signs are secrecy, pressure, and ignoring a no. They never need to send anyone photos, and should tell you immediately if someone asks. They should never meet someone they know from online without talking to you first.

Other subjects you may want to know about

  • Bullying. Staying Steady (6.3) and Handling Teasing and Exclusion (9.3) separate ordinary teasing from targeted cruelty, and tell teens to bring in a parent, teacher, or counselor when it's the second kind. Talking Online (10.3) says the same about online bullying.
  • Mental health. The first lesson cites the CDC's finding that in 2023, 40% of U.S. high school students reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness, so teens know how common it is. Two lessons (2.3 and 9.3) tell them to talk to a parent or school counselor if things are affecting their eating, their sleep, or whether they can face going to school. The course teaches social skills. It doesn't diagnose or treat anything.
  • Passing mentions. Getting into a car with someone who has been drinking (given as an example of a real danger to avoid), a grandparent dying (an example of a time not to joke), and a faith group's youth night (one of several examples of a weekly activity).
  • Language. No profanity. Words like “jerk” and “stupid” appear only as examples of insults or harsh self-talk that the lessons teach teens to handle.

Where the course sends your teen to you

  • Before meeting anyone they know only from online, and right away if anyone asks them for photos (10.5 and 11.3).
  • When they join new activities to make friends: Let your parents know what you are up to. Not just Can you drive me to this thing? (8.8).
  • Talking With Parents (10.1) teaches calm timing and “I” statements, and asks teens to listen to your side, because in most cases your parents do have your best interest at heart.
  • For anything serious, from bullying to someone who won't take no, the instruction is the same: tell a trusted adult, and if the first one doesn't help, tell another.
Optional Bonus Module

Crushes and Respect: your choice

Crushes and Respect is a separate bonus course of four short lessons. Your teen sees it only if you choose the version that includes it when you enroll, and both versions cost the same. Here is everything in it.

4 lessons 4 min 44 sec of video in total 1 short quiz No exercises
12.1

Crushes

Having a crush is normal, and so is never having had one. Their crush is a normal person with flaws, not someone above them, so there's no need to put on an act around them.

Nobody owes anyone romantic interest, in either direction: not because someone was kind, gave a gift, or waited a long time. If someone won't accept a no thanks, that's worth telling a parent or another trusted adult about. The lesson also covers turning someone down kindly and clearly.

12.2

Telling Someone You Like Them

Short, said as a statement rather than a question, in a private moment, and only once. No pressure for an answer, no ultimatums, and no sending a friend to say it. The suggested wording:

I like you. There's no pressure. I just wanted you to know.

12.3

Taking a No Well

Say No worries or All good, and mean it. Don't guilt-trip them or try to change their mind, take a little distance if needed, and go back to treating them normally. A no doesn't mean that you are unlovable. It means the two of them weren't a match.

12.4

Ask, Don't Guess

Going quiet, going along because of pressure, or not being sure is not a yes. When unsure, ask (Do you want to do this right now?). Anyone can change their mind and stop (I don't want to take this any further right now.) without explaining. Anything involving pressure, secrecy, images, or someone much older is a reason to talk to a trusted adult.

What it doesn't contain: nothing sexual, and no description of physical affection. It doesn't cover dating itself. The lessons stop at telling someone how you feel and handling the answer. The question in 12.4 is general and never says what “this” is. If you enroll without the bonus and change your mind later, email support@coachjohnbush.com and I'll add it to your account. The price is the same either way.
John Bush
Who Made This

John Bush

I've been teaching social skills for more than a decade, and I have more than 10,000 hours of coaching with teenagers and adults. Years ago I co-founded two social skills programs, SPEAR and MAVEN, and taught social skills classes at a high school for two school years.

I wasn't always good with people. The practice ladder in this course starts with simply being around people, with no talking, because that is where I had to start too.

I wrote Good With People for teenagers specifically, because school is a different situation from adult life. You see the same people every day and you can't just leave, so some of the advice has to be different, and the course says so where it matters, like the lesson on embarrassing yourself in front of people you'll see again tomorrow.

10+ years teaching social skills
10,000+ hours coaching teenagers and adults
Co-founder of the SPEAR and MAVEN social skills programs
Taught social skills classes at a high school for two school years
UC Santa Barbara graduate
Enroll

One price. You choose the version.

Both versions include the full 60-lesson course. The only difference is whether your teen also gets the four-lesson Crushes and Respect bonus module.

With the bonus module
Good With People + Crushes and Respect
$297
One-time payment

All 60 core lessons, plus the four bonus lessons on crushes, telling someone you like them, taking a no well, and asking instead of guessing.

Enroll With the Bonus Module
Core course only
Good With People
$297
One-time payment

All 60 core lessons, without the bonus module. Change your mind later and I'll add the bonus to your account by email.

Enroll Without the Bonus Module

Both versions include

  • 60 video lessons, each with a full written lesson
  • 45 real-world exercises and the nine-step practice ladder
  • 11 module quizzes and 7 checkpoints
  • The Complete Exercise List for choosing what to practice next
  • Lifetime access, at your teen's own pace
  • One payment, no subscription
30Day

30-Day Money-Back Guarantee

Try the course for 30 days. If you decide it isn't right for your teen, email me at support@coachjohnbush.com within 30 days of purchase and I'll refund the full $297. No forms and no hard feelings.

Questions

Questions parents ask

Teenagers, roughly 13 to 17. The examples come from school life (hallways, lunch tables, group projects, tryouts, getting called on in class), and there are lessons for homeschooled teens and teens without a built-in group.
Very little screen time. The 60 lesson videos add up to a little over two hours, and most run one to three minutes. Each one has a written lesson underneath with more detail, and the course asks teens to read those too, since they carry about half the material. The practice happens during the day your teen already has.
It's built for that. The first four steps don't involve talking, every step has an easier version written out, and teens can stay on one step for weeks or months. The course asks them to work on whatever feels slightly uncomfortable, never on something that feels impossible, and a full lesson shows them how to break anything too big into smaller steps.
No. It's a skills course from a social skills coach. It doesn't diagnose or treat anxiety, depression, or anything else. When something goes beyond social skills, such as trouble eating, sleeping, or facing school, the course tells teens to talk to a parent or school counselor, and that's the right time to involve a professional.
Yours. Check out with your own name and email address, then give your teen the login. The account stays in your name, and you can watch or read any lesson yourself whenever you like.
Mostly not. The early exercises are ordinary behavior: putting the phone away, a small smile, eye contact. The course explains the spotlight effect (everyone feels watched, and nearly everyone is busy worrying about themselves), and the lesson Changing How You Show Up covers what to say if a classmate comments on the change.
Yes. If you enroll without it and change your mind, email support@coachjohnbush.com and I'll add it to your account. The price is the same either way.
Lifetime access. One payment, and your teen can come back to any lesson whenever they need it. The last page of the course lists which lesson to revisit for common problems, so it stays useful after the first time through.
You're covered by a 30-day money-back guarantee. Email support@coachjohnbush.com within 30 days of purchase for a full refund.
Yes. Schools can license the course for their students. See Good With People for Schools.

A first step your teen can take tomorrow

Step one asks for nothing more than putting the phone away and looking up. Sixty short lessons and forty-five exercises take it from there, at whatever pace your teen needs.

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