Social skills 101: a comprehensive guide

4) Communication workshops

These are 1- or 2-day group workshops offered to the public by universities or training institutions. The social skills classes or training workshops are led by a facilitator and the group size can go from 10 to 50 people.

Most programs were in-person before COVID and many are now virtual. In those workshops, not only do they share different theories, but they also hold group exercises to let you practice the concepts.

• Price range: $$$
• Pros:
  • • Fast: This is a mini Bootcamp to learn a subject very quickly. Compacting the key knowledge into 1-2 days.
    • Practice: the group exercises during the workshop allow you to take what you learn and practice applying them. The goal is that when you leave the learning environment, the knowledge still sticks in your mind.
• Cons:
  • • Expensive: ranging from $500-$2500 per program, the price point can be a challenge for many. As a result, most people who attend these programs get their employers to cover the cost from the employee development budget (if their companies have one).
    • Limited practice: Despite getting some practice during the workshop, you can only have limited practice while learning 20 other concepts in an 8-hour workshop.
    • Not self-paced and risk of forgetting the information: on one hand, it feels good to learn all the concepts in 1-2 days. On the other hand, to remember something, we have to experience it multiple times. Jamming in all information means that your brain gets overloaded and can’t fully absorb everything at once. If you don’t incorporate the 20 concepts you learn within a few days, the knowledge will fade quickly.

5) Cohort-based courses

This is a term that popped up recently. A live cohort-based course means a group of people is taking a series of classes together.

The main difference between a cohort and a workshop is that a cohort typically space out the learning sessions (i.e. 2 hours a week for 4 weeks) and a workshop compacts everything into 1-2 days (i.e. a full 8-hour day)

• Price range: $$-$$$
• Pros:
  • • Fast: like workshops, a cohort teaches a lot of key information over a short period.
    • Practice: because it’s a live class with a group of people, you get to practice what you learn
    • More spaced-out:  When we learn a new piece of information, spend time to apply it, then come back to learn another concept, over time, we remember more from that than being overwhelmed with 30 new concepts at once.
• Cons:
  • • Lack of pricing transparency: Pricing is often not revealed until you attend the introductory consultation
    • Expensive: Most cohorts cost $1000+ (at least from the few we’ve heard; sorry we don’t have a more accurate range)

6) Coaches

When we say coaches, we mean 1-on-1 private coaching. Three types of coaches fit into this category: Social Skills coaches, Specialty coaches, and Executive coaches.

A Social Skills coach typically

• helps people overcome their shyness and objections by introducing new mindset
• helps develop conversation skills
• helps people become more social in general

Specialty coaches typically

• specialize in one area, i.e. non-violent communication, negotiating in high-stake situations, or public relations

Executive coaches typically 

• are made available to high-value individual in business only
• develop a stronger ability to influence and motivate others
• work through difficult conversations
• build charisma and presence
• develop a resilient mindset
• and other business-related challenges…

Difference between the three 

While Social Skills coaches focus on the fundamentals, the Executive coaches typically work with people who have the fundamentals and need the advanced people skills beyond building rapport to handle high stake situations. The Specialty coaches are for those who want to improve one specific communication area.

• Price range: $$$$
• Pros:
  • • Full customization and self-paced: This is arguably the most effective way to develop a skillset. Not only do you get full attention and customization based on your current skills, but you also get to learn at a pace that’s optimal for you. You can schedule one session a week, two sessions a week, once a month, or whatever works best for you.
    • Practice: The nature of coaching is that not only do you get to learn new information, but you also get guidance on how to practice and apply the knowledge to your unique situation.
• Cons:
  • • Expensive: this tends to be the most expensive option. Most people go to a coach to develop a set of skills, as a result, it typically takes multiple sessions. When the hourly rate goes from $300-$500, you can easily spend a few thousand dollars from several sessions.

7) Therapists

Some people might already have good social skills, but their anxiety and intense fear hold them back. This is where a social anxiety therapist comes in handy.

• Price range: $$-$$$ (some insurances cover the costs)
• Pros & Cons: We will skip the pros and cons for this one because mental health tackles a different challenge than all other options. Later on, we will touch on when to use a therapist and when to use the other options.

Choosing the right solutions

A solution may be right for one person but not suitable for another.

From our personal experience, if you want the most effective skillset development and have a high budget, coaching is the best since it’s like having someone “watch over your shoulder” and give you guidance on mistakes you’re not aware of doing.

However, if you have a more reserved budget, the other options might work better for you. It might take a bit longer to get there, but you can still fast-track your learning.