Do Jehovah's Witnesses have social skills training sessions?

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Do Jehovah's Witnesses have special social skills training sessions for their members? Almost every Jehovah's Witness I have encountered is very good socially and are well spoken and diplomatic. I have never encountered any with the slightest sign of AS traits. Therefore I can't help wondering if they are training to talk and act in the way that they do.

That they are trained is an understatement, more like brainwashed. They are taught to be submissive. They have elders. You won't see those doing the door-to-door preaching.
They have a very strict hierarchy and the elders are at the top of that. If you break the rules or refuse to change your ways that fits in with the standard you get kicked out or sanctioned.

Used to live in a shared house with two of them. Never again.!

They seem nice but love to argue.

They act all friendly and social in a creepy, unrealistic way. It could be a feeling of superiority because everyone else is going to hell but them, or so they think, if they think at all.

I also heard that they don't celebrate Halloween (my favorite holiday). Apparently, they have a problem with strangers just randomly showing up at their door.

They don't celebrate any holidays if I remember correctly, even birthdays are a no-no. I've told them to go away before and said I'm not interested (as have my parents, we're Catholic but yet they still come around). A couple years ago some LDS members came to our house, they were polite, we said no thank you, they took no offense and haven't been back since. I have far more respect for that approach than people coming every other week to your door asking to convert.

I used to be one

I haven't been in one of their meetings in about 15 years, maybe longer. So maybe they've changed their format but I doubt it. Anyway the women have mock interviews that they give up on the platform as skits, they call them "giving a talk" ( ) I used to have to do those and I hated it - it was like play-acting how a bible study is supposed to go if you're at someone's house teaching them Watchtower stuff. I got so nervous about having to up on the platform I'd feel sick to my stomach. I'd skip dinner for fear of being sick on the platform out of sheer anxiety, then right after my talk was over, I'd be ravenously hungry, cuz I hadn't eaten since lunchtime in school!

I hated that period of my life, which was from about birth to around 19-ish when I moved out from my mom's. I decided I wasn't going to go back to the JW meetings and when I told my mother this she "got out" with me!

But I do agree with the "creepy unrealistic" vibe they seem to give off. They're kind of trained to be all endearing to win people over before the brainwashing begins. Like if someone who's just started talking with them says they're openminded about God or religion, the JW will say that that is good, then proceed to start winning them over to the JW point of view. Then years down the road when that new person starts to get disillusioned about the JW faith and they start to explore other religions, being openminded again, the JW's frown on it and shun the person, or if the person had been baptized as JW in that time then they are what they call "disfellowshipped" and even if the person has relatives who are still firm JW's, they are not allowed to speak with their own relatives - they are shunned

It is a harsh religion and I don't miss it in the slightest.

Looking back I had no idea I was an Aspie back then but that was about the worst religion to stick an Aspie kid in - what with the talks on the platform in front of a huge room of people, knocking on strangers' doors and being expected to make eye contact with them while spouting off your memorized, canned, out-of-a-book responses, attending all those meetings a week where you were expected to put up your hand and give comments.. I could go on.

I remember they had a brown book that we called "the Reasoning book" (can't remember the full title) that had all kinds of set responses to what were called "conversation stoppers" that we heard when preaching - we were supposed to memorize all sorts of those and have responses at the ready at any time I had a very difficult time memorizing even a couple of them but we weren't supposed to read right out of the book at someone's door....

Oh and the elders do go from door to door preaching. At least they did in my congregation long ago. They had to, to "set the example" for the sheep to follow Unless of course that has changed since then and now they're all too good for that - leave it to the Rank-and-File...

I think it's more because of the ghosts, goblins, witches, and various undead-themed ideas that they have a problem with

However they have no problem believing that the demons from the bible exist

I love Samhain

I have Jehovah's Witnesses visit me, one of whom is AS (I already knew this person as AS before I knew he was JW because he attended the school I work at). He's always been well-spoken when he comes to the door but I know he also struggled socially through high school.
I think many JW's can speak so well because they know the subject inside out. There're taught to talk with strangers from a young age by going door to door with their parents and attending meetings where they answer questions publicly. I don't know that social skills are 'taught' by any way other than constant example.

I am a believer but not a Jehovah's witness since I believer they are a cult that goes against everything the bible says. I have found that you can tell them to get away from you. They also hate it when you say "Depart from me for I never knew you." That will scare them to death.

They also flee if you tell them that you are Jewish and leave anyone alone who has a Mezzuzah on your door.

That's exactly what a former JW turned Muslim told me. She hated the hierarchy of the movement and having to be submissive. In her opinion, JW have a lot of respect for hierarchy in the real world and tend to blindly obey their superiors rather than use their intuition. She said that she would not like to work under a JW as a middle manager because he would butter up to the big boss all the time and enforce his authority.

The answer to question is YES. They review on their school, tipping, for motels, restaurants ect. They review proper dress code for assembles, meetings and public places. They review proper hygiene. You name, they gone over it. Even flossing of the teeth, has been a subject. The practice little skits, on what to do say, if a person says this or that. I was a jw for 50 years. I can tell you the training on proper manors, proper conversations, how to dress, how to groom, everything. Was good training for both me and my children. Except toward the end, my kids would ask, if they have to go over it again? How stupid are some of the people, that these subjects are reviewed yearly. Publicly so no one is hurt. Privately if you do not catch on.

It appears this social skills stuff is available for the general public and not just for members if you look on their website:

What if I don't just fit in?

Why don't I have any friends

How to be a good listener

Treating your mate with respect

What if I'm Lonely

I'm a current Jehovah's Witness, I was raised in a Jehovah's Witness household.

The 'social skills training sessions' are what we would refer to as the Theocratic Ministry School which is based on a weekly schedule published monthly in 'Our Kingdom Ministry' which is essentially a newsletter/teaching aid so members can keep abreast of developments/up coming events.

Theocratic Ministry School is comprised of Student Talks running for 3-5 mins each that are delivered in three formats -

1. Weekly Bible Reading (3-4Mins) - Self Explanatory - Usually given to younger brothers who are nervous/inexperienced - From memory I gave my first one of these when I was around 8.

2. Bible Study Demonstration (5 Mins) - Discussion on a Bible based issue between two Sisters, meant to simulate a 'Bible Study' in various settings - For Example explaining your beliefs to a co-worker/relative/school mate.

3. Scriptural Talk (5 Mins) - Oral presentation on a predetermined Bible/Religious subject - Given by older/more experienced brothers - Gave my first one when I was 14.

@hurtloam - The website was originally conceived as a method of distributing literature to members in countries where Jehovah's Witnesses are banned (for example Russia), use of the website as a teaching aid is a relatively new initiative.

This comment from your co-worker has been niggling in the back of my head since I first read it and at first I thought it was just because it's completely illogical to say that 7million people could all be exactly the same, logic dictates they can't be, so I didn't see the point in replying, but I've just realised that her comment bugs me because it's the kind of thing that people say about aspies, if I replace JW with aspie it reads like this:

"Aspies have a lot of respect for hierarchy in the real world and tend to blindly obey their superiors rather than use their intuition. She said that she would not like to work under a Aspie as a middle manager because he would butter up to the big boss all the time and enforce his authority."


Then it becomes an -ism and quiet offensive. Aspies like me tend to need specific instructions or I get confused at work and I could imagine someone saying this about me, but when you've met one aspie you've met one aspie, so when you've met one JW you've met one JW. They can't possibly be all unable to use their initiative, some are small business owners, architects, graphic designers, research scientists, nurses, artists, etc. Your co-worker is just making a needless throw away comment.