Life skills course

Relationship skills

Build the friendships you actually want: by starting more, listening better, and handling hard moments well.

5 parts18 lessonsAbout 10 minutes a lessonFirst 3 lessons free
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No card needed. The first three lessons stay free.

After this course you will be able to

  • Start conversations and make plans instead of waiting for others to go first.
  • Recognise emotional bids and respond with attention instead of turning away.
  • Set boundaries and make repair moves when relationships hit rough moments.
  • Build a personal set of go-to lines, rules, and plans for real interactions.

Myths this course clears up

Good relationships happen naturally without effort or practice
If someone wanted to see you, they would reach out first
Boundaries are selfish and damage the relationship
Being vulnerable means sharing your deepest feelings early on
A pause in conversation means something is going wrong

Lesson plan

5 parts, 18 lessons of about 10 minutes, with a short review at the end of each part.

PART 1 Starting and Connecting

  1. 1Say Something First FREE10 min
  2. 2Turning Flat Replies into Questions That Land FREE10 min
  3. 3Catching the Small Moments People Reach Out FREE7 min
  4. 4Showing Up with Warmth 10 min
  5. 5Recap: Starting and Connecting REVIEW8 min

PART 2 Building Closer Ties

  1. 6Being the One Who Reaches Out 10 min
  2. 7Remembering Details and Saying What You Actually Notice 10 min
  3. 8Bringing People In and Lifting the Energy 10 min
  4. 9Recap: Building Closer Ties REVIEW10 min

PART 3 Noticing What Others Need

  1. 10Reading the Room and Staying Calm in Silences 7 min
  2. 11Matching How the Other Person Is Sharing 10 min
  3. 12Listening Before Fixing 10 min
  4. 13Recap: Noticing What Others Need REVIEW10 min

PART 4 Hard Moments and Long Relationships

  1. 14Speaking Up Without Pushing Away 7 min
  2. 15Saying What You Need and Reaching Out After a Fight 7 min
  3. 16When a Relationship Feels One-Sided or Is Changing 7 min
  4. 17Recap: Hard Moments and Long Relationships REVIEW10 min

PART 5 Putting It All Together

  1. 18Recap: Relationship Skills REVIEW7 min

A look inside

Read the first lesson

Say Something First

10 min

You are sitting next to someone new while a meeting waits to start. You want to say something, but you look at your phone instead. Then the meeting starts, and the chance has gone. You will be in the same seat next week.

A good opening line is not a clever line. It is a line that gives the other person an easy way in.

When you are near someone new, the safest thing to do is comment on the shared moment. That means something you can both notice right now: the room, the wait, the event, the coffee machine, the class starting late. The other person does not need to reveal anything personal. They can answer with a quick opinion, a laugh or one small comment back.

What makes a line easy to answer

  • It is about something you can both see, hear or experience
  • It is short and light
  • It can be answered without feeling examined

Personal question: "So, what do you do?"

Shared moment: "Has anyone figured out how the coffee machine works yet?"

You do not need to sound original. In real life, ordinary beats impressive. A shared topic is easier to answer than a personal question.

One rule to remember: If you can point to the moment, you can probably start the conversation.

Do not wait to feel confident first. Most missed moments are not caused by a bad line. They happen because you stay silent until the chance passes.

Check your understanding

You are early to a team meeting and standing beside someone new. Which opener is most likely to work?

Try it yourself

First team meeting at a new job. You sit down next to someone you have never met, and the meeting is starting ten minutes late. Three opening lines. A: 'Hi, I just joined.' B: 'Do these always start this late, or is today special?' C: 'How long have you worked here?'

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Start Relationship Skills.

The first three lessons are free. About 10 minutes each.

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