ABSTRACT
Training for professional social skills such as interviewing, teaching, supervision and psychotherapy, is one of the main areas of interest. The treatment of mental patients is a field where attempts are made to modify social behaviour. Some kinds of training affect one area of social competence more than others; it will be useful to keep this list in mind while considering the usefulness of the various approaches. Lectures and discussions can play a useful part in teaching social skills, but they are better if combined with demonstrations and exercises, such as films, role-playing and experiments. Reading is the other traditional method of education, and there is little doubt of its effectiveness. Since social behaviour is partly mediated by learnt, cognitive components, there is a priori a case for instruction of a cognitive kind either via lectures or reading. Professional social skills can be supplemented by lectures and discussions and instructional film on the skill in question where available.
