Assertiveness Training
The goal of
our Assertiveness Training is to enable participants to learn to express their rights, requests, opinions, and feelings honestly, directly, and appropriately without violating the rights and self-esteem of others.
Each
Assertiveness Training Institute training
seminar begins with a self-assessment that
enables individuals to understand their personality.
We delve into each person’s strengths,
weaknesses and stress areas to help people understand
what makes them “tick.” We then
begin the process of enabling participants to
understand how to
communicate
more effectively with others. Through various
activities and assertiveness training exercises, participants
then begin to recognize other communication
styles and the best way to communicate to them.
Here is when the process of becoming more assertive
truly takes shape – by understanding the
needs of other communication styles, participants
learn how to express their opinion and stand
up for their interests regardless of who they
are dealing with.
For more information on our
assertiveness training
courses
contact us
here.
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Be Firm and Decisive - Say No if You Have To
If you know that you don't want to do something but
feel pressured by people around you, take a deep
breath and definitively say that you will not be able
to sign up for that particular task. Mention the
reasons that this will not work for you specifically
and then move on. When you are establishing boundaries
with people, it is important to be clear, firm and
decisive. If you typically have trouble with this
step, start with small steps. Practice what you will
say at home in front of the mirror until you are
comfortable. Build small successes into larger ones.
Assertiveness skills are extremely valuable in day to
day living. We've all been in situations where we've
agreed to do something despite our better judgment and
then made excuses at the last moment. Assertiveness
training will provide you with the skills to create
personal boundaries and to show others how to treat
you with respect. Use the following steps to become
more assertive and to reduce stress in your every day
life.
Ask For What You Want Matter-of-Factly
People who have trouble with assertiveness are
typically fearful of expressing their needs. Asking
for what you want just means that you will be
expressing your feelings. Practice stating what you
would like to have happen at home and at work in a
matter of fact way. Again, start small. As an example,
you could tell your coworker - "I want to be involved
in XYZ meeting at 2 pm today". Or if you're talking to
a friend, you could start with - "I need to go to the
dentist at 1 pm. tomorrow, so I'd like to switch our
lunch date to the following day if that’s ok with
you." Speak up and voice your opinions at the lunch
table. Value yourself enough to express your needs.
This will increase your self esteem and give you the
ability to ask for opportunities that otherwise may
not come your way. Once you stop being silent people
will get to know the real you and you will have a
stronger sense of identity.
Achieve Your Goals
This an important step that may not be intuitive when
thinking about assertiveness. If you set a clearly
defined goal for yourself and achieve it, you will
have expressed your specific need to achieve that
goal, set boundaries on your time and articulated your
needs to others in order to get to your end point.
Setting and accomplishing goals will also increase
your sense of self. Realize that being assertive is a
good thing both for you and the people around you.
Your needs and wants are valuable and make you the
unique and special person that you are.
Constructively Resolve Conflict
Conflict is a part of every day life. Being factual
and taking a problem solving approach while stating
your needs is part of assertively resolving a
disagreement. If you're in the middle of a
disagreement, step back for a moment. Listen to and
acknowledge the other person's point of view. Clarify
and acknowledge all the points of disagreement. Then,
state your point of view, and negotiate a possible
compromise that would work for both sides. If there is
no compromise possible, acknowledge that both of you
have different ways of thinking and leave it at that.
Don't allow anyone to push you in a direction that
does not work for you. Be factual and non-antagonistic
in expressing your point of view. Inject some humor
into the situation if possible.
Be Interested In the People Around You
Be sincerely interested in the people around you. As
you express interest in other people's lives and
families, that interest will be reciprocated and you
can naturally get into a relationship dynamic where
you can easily share opinions and express your needs
and wants.
Believe in Yourself
Value and express your own feelings, opinions and
interests. If you strongly believe that what you have
to say is important, assertiveness will become part of
your natural behavior. Sign up for activities that you
love and are passionate about. Develop your hobbies.
Surround yourself with people that value and love you.
Realize that you are equally as important as everyone
else around you.
Source: Paige Turner
link
Related: Assertiveness Communication Skills
Training Courses
For more information on our assertiveness training
seminars contact us here. |
