Use of social-skills training in the treatment of extreme anxiety and deficient verbal skills in the job-interview setting.

Carr et al. (1978) tested a short social-skills package on adults who fell apart in job interviews. The package had four parts: tell, show, practice, and video replay. They used a multiple-baseline design across three interview behaviors.

Each adult got the same small dose: brief instructions, a model tape, role-play, and instant video feedback. The team watched anxiety drop and words flow during mock interviews.

All three target behaviors shot up after the first BST round. Sweaty palms and shaky voices also eased. Best of all, the new calm talk carried over to real workplace chats.

The study showed a tiny BST cycle can tame big interview fear and build fluent answers in adults.

McGeown et al. (2013) later pitted live BST against a computer-only course. Live rehearsal still won for keeping staff accurate on discrete trials. The 1978 face-to-face format remains the gold standard when high fidelity matters.

Yet Mount et al. (2011) and Campanaro et al. (2023) reached 100 % accuracy with short online modules. These newer studies supersede the 1978 delivery method: you can now swap live rehearsal for a 30-minute video package when the skill is well-defined, like DTT steps.

Reiss et al. (1982) extended the same four-step package from interview nerves to full counseling skills, proving BST travels across adult social domains.

You still lean on the classic BST script—tell, show, practice, feedback—because it works fast. For crisp, repeatable tasks like DTT, try the new online modules to save trainer hours. For messy, high-stakes skills like interviews or counseling, keep the live rehearsal and video replay; the human loop catches subtle errors a screen cannot. Mix both formats and you get speed without sacrificing fidelity.