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smart mouth 12 hour fresh breathAssertion
Assertion is the skill of being calm and firm but not aggressive in the way you communicate with others. It helps you to communicate your needs, feelings and thoughts in a clear confident way while taking into account the feelings of others and respecting their right to an opinion as well.
How to be assertive
You need to plan what you are going to say. Be polite, state the nature of the problem, how it affects you, how you feel about it and what you want to happen. Make it clear that you see the other person’s point of view and be prepared to compromise if it leads to what you want. Control your emotions, such as anger or tearfulness and be calm and authoritative in your interactions with others. You need to be clear and prepared to defend your position and be able to say no. This won’t cause offence if it is said firmly and calmly. Use questions such as, ‘How can we solve this problem?’ Use the ‘broken record’ technique where you just keep repeating your statement softly, calmly and persistently. At the same time, use body language that shows you are relaxed, e.g. make firm, direct eye contact with relaxed facial features and use open hand gestures.
My life
Spitting out your dummy!
Think about a situation when you have wanted something and have become cross because you couldn’t have it. Did your anger lead to you getting what you wanted or did it make the situation worse? How could you have acted differently and maybe got what you wanted after all?
Aggression – behaviour that is unpleasant, frightening or intimidating
Assertion – behaviour that helps you communicate clearly and firmly
Key terms
More barriers to communication and ways to overcome them
01_BTEC_FirstHealth_Unit1-ccc.indd 12 18/03/2010 08:56
Assertion is the skill of being calm and firm but not aggressive in the way you communicate with others. It helps you to communicate your needs, feelings and thoughts in a clear confident way while taking into account the feelings of others and respecting their right to an opinion as well.
How to be assertive
You need to plan what you are going to say. Be polite, state the nature of the problem, how it affects you, how you feel about it and what you want to happen. Make it clear that you see the other person’s point of view and be prepared to compromise if it leads to what you want. Control your emotions, such as anger or tearfulness and be calm and authoritative in your interactions with others. You need to be clear and prepared to defend your position and be able to say no. This won’t cause offence if it is said firmly and calmly. Use questions such as, ‘How can we solve this problem?’ Use the ‘broken record’ technique where you just keep repeating your statement softly, calmly and persistently. At the same time, use body language that shows you are relaxed, e.g. make firm, direct eye contact with relaxed facial features and use open hand gestures.
My life
Spitting out your dummy!
Think about a situation when you have wanted something and have become cross because you couldn’t have it. Did your anger lead to you getting what you wanted or did it make the situation worse? How could you have acted differently and maybe got what you wanted after all?
Aggression – behaviour that is unpleasant, frightening or intimidating
Assertion – behaviour that helps you communicate clearly and firmly
Key terms
More barriers to communication and ways to overcome them
01_BTEC_FirstHealth_Unit1-ccc.indd 12 18/03/2010 08:56