We’ve researched and ranked the most popular courses on social skills online.
How we did the research
We searched for courses on social skills and found 19 popular programs. We went through their summaries, their free material and their reviews – good and bad. Based on what we learned, we evaluated which courses are worth your time and money – and which ones aren’t.
Our top picks
There are 19 courses in this list. To make your decision easier, here are our top picks.
- Top pick free training: Conversation Advice for Overthinkers
- Top pick for the workplace: Improving Communication Skills
- Top pick for extroverts: Master Your Emotions and Revolutionise Your Social Skills
- Top pick for charisma: Charisma University
- Top pick for career: People School
- Top pick for etiquette: Everyday Dining Etiquette
All social skills courses
1. Social Skills Master Course – Social Skills to Make Friends
Creator: Chuck and Sandi Millar (Lesson Pros)
Summary: The course covers making new friends, becoming more confident, staying in contact, connecting, making a good first impression and general tips on social interactions.
Our review: Despite there being higher-rated courses on our list, we’re ranking this one as our #1 for being the best value for money. It contains over 6.5 hours of video and covers a lot of important topics. The course is suitable for both introverts and extroverts.
Price: $19.99 USD | User rating: 4.2 out of 5 stars | Length: 6.5 hours of video
2. Conversation Advice for Overthinkers
DISCLAIMER: This is our own training so we might be biased. But our readers love it and it’s 100% free, so we think you’ll like it, too.
You do a quick quiz, and get a customized email training based on your responses. That way, you get advice tailored to you, no matter if you mainly want to be better at making conversation, making friends, or improve your social confidence.
3. Authentic Assertiveness: Next Level Communication Skills
Creator: TJ Guttormsen
Summary: The aim of this course is to teach you how to be more assertive, speak your mind, communicate clearly and effectively, get others to listen, handle conflict and overcome mental blocks and fear.
Our review: The presenter speaks and explains clearly and is pleasant to listen to. There’s plenty of both theoretical information and practical tips on how to implement it.
Price: $124.99 USD | User rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars | Length: 3.5 hours of video
4. Improving Communication Skills
Creator: Maurice Schweitzer
Summary: Centered around communication at work, this course aims to teach you how to spot lies, develop trust, negotiate and apologize. It also covers knowing when to cooperate vs when to compete, how to ask thoughtful questions, be an active listener and more.
Our review: Even though the course is mainly about workplace communication, it can give important insight into the way all human interactions work. A good course, with only a couple of sections that can be hit-or-miss. Some of the information might require further reading. As this is a Coursera course, you have an option of completing it for free, without the benefit of being graded or receiving a certificate. We’re ranking it fairly high for a combination of being well structured and potentially free.
Price: Free, or $79.00 USD per month | User rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars | Length: approximately 10 hours
5. The Arts and Science of Relationships: Understanding Human Needs
Creator: A. Ka Tat Tsang
Summary: This course is about basic human needs and it teaches the foundation of the SSLD system.
Our review: While mainly aimed at people who work in fields of social work and health care, this course can still be useful for anyone to better understand themselves and their relationships. Good information, but it could be presented a little bit better. As this is a Coursera course, you have an option of completing it for free, without the benefit of being graded or receiving a certificate. We’re ranking it fairly high for a combination of being well structured and potentially free.
Price: Free, or $49.00 USD | User rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars | Length: approximately 32 hours
6. Master Your Emotions and Revolutionise Your Social Skills
Creator: Kain Ramsay
Summary: Improving confidence, shyness, making the conversations more meaningful, being yourself, getting rid of social fears.
Our review: This course can be good for someone who has trouble getting in touch with their emotions, it can improve self-awareness and give some tools to deal with spending too much time in your head. Some of the videos can be a bit too drawn-out, with too many personal anecdotes.
Price: $64.99 USD | User rating: 4.0 out of 5 stars | Length: 6.5 hours of video
7. Charisma University
Creator: Charlie Houpert (Charisma on Command)
Summary: The course aims to improve your first impressions, storytelling, the flow of conversations, make you more popular, make connecting with people easier, teach you how to avoid blanking out, feel more confident and charismatic.
Our review: The advice is good, but it can feel restrictive at times, as the steps presented can be pretty rigid and precise. A lot of focus on being high energy and extraverted, so it’s probably not a good pick for introverts or someone who feels very uncomfortable while socializing. The course could’ve ranked higher on the list had it not been for its price. Before buying, you can check out Charlie’s Youtube channel, Charisma on Command, to see if his advice might be a good fit for you.
Price: $597.00 USD | User rating: 9 out of 10 stars (Self proclaimed) | Length: 10+ hours of video
8. People School
Creator: Vanessa Van Edwards (Science of People)
Summary: Mostly aimed at career advancement. It deals with asking for raises, stage fright, video calls, networking, negotiations, etc.
Our review: Good, well presented advice that is definitely on the pricey side, being the most expensive course on our list by far. Vanessa has an open, energetic personality. The course would’ve been higher on the list had it not been for its high price.
Before buying, you can check out Vanessa’s Youtube channel to see if her advice might be a good fit for you.
Price: $1495.00 USD | Our rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars | Length: the creator recommends spending around two hours per week, for roughly a year.
9. Communication Skills: Become A Superstar Communicator
Creator: Kain Ramsay
Summary: The course explains why communication is important and the role body language plays in social interactions. It teaches connecting with people, finding common ground and communicating clearly.
Our review: Even if not too in-depth, there’s some useful advice that lays a foundation to understanding what skills are important for good communication, though it could be better organized and shortened.
Price: $39.99 USD | User rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars | Length: 5.5 hours of video
10. International Business Etiquette
Creator: Kimberly Law
Summary: General business interaction skills, soft skills, first impressions, showing respect to coworkers and clients, making good introductions.
Our review: The course doesn’t aim to solve all the social skills problems. Its aim is narrow, but it succeeds at what it sets out to do, providing solid advice and clear presentation. The price is a little bit high for the amount of information provided.
Price: $89.99 USD | User rating: 4.4 out of 5 stars | Length: 1.5 hours of video
11. Everyday Dining Etiquette
Creator: Kimberly Law
Summary: As the name suggests, this course is all about dos and don’ts of dining.
Our review: A very niche, short, but decent course. The price is a little bit high for the amount of information provided.
Price: $89.99 USD | User rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars | Length: 1 hour of video
12. Double Your Social Skills and Instantly Connect With People
Creator: Jimmy Naraine
Summary: The course covers starting a conversation with anyone, boosting your confidence, improving body language, networking and public speaking skills.
Our review: A good course for improving confidence and building trust. On the negative side, some parts can be repetitive and a bit cliche. There are things in the course that seem to be based mainly on the presenter’s experiences.
Some of it feels more like a motivational-speech-thing, rather than a course that gives you knowledge or tools to deal with real world situations.
Price: $129.99 USD | User rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars | Length: 4.5 hours of video
13. Make New Friends: Boost Your Communication & Social Skills
Creator: Alain Wolf
Summary: The course covers approaching people, making new friends, connecting better and learning how to lead a conversation.
Our review: There’s some decent basic information, but it’s often pretty theoretical, with not enough practical examples. The presenter’s accent can be hard to understand.
Price: $129.99 USD | User rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars | Length: 2 hours of video
14. Develop Amazing Social Skills & Connect With People
Creator: Alain Wolf
Summary: The course covers starting a conversation, creating a good first impression, developing connections with people and overcoming fear related to social interaction.
Our review: The presenter’s accent is sometimes a little hard to understand. The advice is sound but sometimes rudimentary.
Price: $129.99 USD | User rating: 4.3 out of 5 stars | Length: 2 hours of video
15. Social Interactions: How To Boost Your Social Effectiveness
Creator: Nicole Vasilescu
Summary: The course aims to help you with learning how to approach people, becoming more friendly, taking control of your social interactions and improving your charisma.
Our review: The advice can be too theoretical. The videos can be visually boring to look at and the presenter’s strong accent makes it difficult to follow.
Price: $94.99 USD | User rating: 3.9 out of 5 stars | Length: 2.5 hours of video
16. Social Skills: How To Influence People & Gain Influence
Creator: Alain Wolf
Summary: The main theme is persuasion, or influence or other people’s opinions.
Our review: While basic, some of the advice is decent, but is not very well presented. A pretty high price for the amount of content. The presenter’s accent can be hard to understand.
Price: $94.99 USD | User rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars | Length: 1 hour of video
17. Social Skills: Double Your Charisma & Communication Skills
Creator: Alain Wolf
Summary: Some general tips on how to make your social interactions more successful.
Our review: Some okay tips. A pretty high price for the amount of content. Even at 1.5 hours, the course can feel a bit stretched out. The presenter has an accent that might be hard to understand at times.
Price: $94.99 USD | User rating: 3.3 out of 5 stars | Length: 1.5 hours of video
18. Social Skills — How to Make Friends & Connect With People
Creator: Jason DS
Summary: Some general tips on how to improve your social skills, deal with the fear of rejection, improve your confidence, learn how to start conversations, how to make friends and interact with the opposite sex.
Our review: Some of the advice is decent, but some of it feels a bit superficial and “fake”. A pretty high price for the amount of content. The presenter’s accent can be a little hard to understand at times.
Price: $94.99 USD | User rating: 3.3 out of 5 stars | Length: 1 hour of video
19. Social Skills: How To Make A Great First Impression
Creator: Alain Wolf
Summary: The course is centered around making a good first impression, dealing with knowing what to say, improving your body language and not being afraid of approaching people.
Our review: The advice given can feel a bit shallow and unclear. The presenter’s accent can be hard to understand.
Price: $94.99 USD | User rating: 3.2 out of 5 stars | Length: 2.5 hours of video
