Imagine if your cell phone died right now. Now what if your computer stopped working on top of that. No access to the internet, no access to immediate communication. The world is forced to go back to the old days. What would you do? Susan Ellis has thought of that, and she has the answer. 

Susan founded her company, Good Manners Consulting, five years ago to teach kids proper communication, social media, and life skills. ““It’s giving kids the confidence just to go out there and present the best versions of themselves,” she explains.

This is Susan’s first year offering Colorado parents an etiquette camp for their children—a weeklong program of four-hour classes each day, covering five topics. The topics are reinforced during the week, and on day five is a e competition where kids test their skills through fake job interviews and other scenarios. 

“I know etiquette can sound old-fashioned, like pearls and hairspray, but that’s not what I teach at all. My approach is modern, practical, and empowering. I work with children, teens, and young adults to build real confidence and life skills.  How to communicate, how to carry themselves, and how to show up each day as the best version of themselves.

When they leave, they don’t just know the rules; they feel confident enough to handle any situation.”

The camp can take up to 60 kids and covers dating skills, job interview skills, dining etiquette, table manners, how to enter and exit conversations confidently, networking skills, and more. Children can learn how to write emails properly, text with adults, and communicate online with peers. 

Susan shares that while she works with businesses, teaching children is truly her passion. Having lived in Australia until five years ago, she laughs that her accent often helps her connect with kids and keep the sessions fun and engaging.

“When I first meet many children, they can be a little unsure of themselves, and that’s completely natural,” she says. “I’ll sometimes playfully call them my ‘silly koalas’ when they’re being a bit cheeky. It keeps things light and helps them relax. But by the time we finish, the transformation is incredible. They walk up confidently, offer a handshake, make eye contact, and say, ‘Hi, how are you?’ with genuine confidence.”

With our world filled with technology, Susan believes the younger generation is becoming lazy when it comes to gaining information and socializing. She says that because everything is so simple and on a screen, people don’t know how to socialize. Instead of building a real community of friends, kids build online communities. 

“When you talk to young people, it’s confusing. They speak, they’re articulate, but they’re not speaking from experience; they’re speaking from what they’re seeing online. You can see a real difference in the communication skills,” explains Susan. 

What she is really working on is bringing people and children back to reality. Susan is working to show people that there is more to do than being invested in a computer or phone screen all day. And it’s not just, “Yes, ma’am,” or “No, sir.” Susan says it’s really how you want to treat other people, and the respect that you want to show yourself, and the respect that you deserve. She adds that we’ll only get that when we understand the importance of strong communication skills.

“If I can just change one kid’s life and give them the confidence to go out and follow their dreams, that’s what it’s all about,” says Susan. “I don’t want anyone to ever feel that they have limitations on themselves because nobody should feel like that…I show them the roadmap, I give them the skills, and I coach them. And when I see that they’re ready, I say, ‘Off you go,’ because the world’s a big adventure.”

Summer Camp for 2026 is for kids ages 9 to 16 from June 15-20, running 9:30am to 1:30pm. For more information about Good Manners Consulting, go to the website at goodmannersconsulting.com.