As social psychologist Richard Brislin observes, people in an individualist society need some “social skills” that are less important in collectivist societies. People everywhere can use social skills, of course, but the kinds of situations they encounter and the skills they need may vary.

Social skills that will help Chinese students in the United States include the following:

• Attending to Personal Hygiene
• Meeting people
• Managing conversations
• Attending to nonverbal behavior
• Handling disagreement and conflict
• Developing relationships
• Knowing the social don’ts