#341: Don't Suffer Miserable Interactions at Work For a Minute Longer - Learn Instead These Key Assertive Skills

Introduction

In today's "People Skills" newsletter, we're showcasing another one of our Professional Development Programme (PDP) presentations. And the topic today is "Applications of Assertiveness".

In this presentation, we'll look at 7 situations at work where people are often unassertive and what can be done to turn things around. They include the skill of responding to criticism, admitting you're wrong, and saying "No" to others.

So, if you still have some way to go on your journey towards full confidence at work, you should stop now and study this presentation. It could make the whole difference to how you relate to others at work.

01. Responding to Compliments

People who have low self-esteem tend to dismiss compliments. Deep down they feel unworthy and are likely to respond to praise with phrases such as, "Who me?" or "It was nothing"...

02. Practise 01 on "Compliments"

What is your normal way of responding to compliments? Turn to the person next to you and exchange compliments using assertive responses.

03. Responding to Criticism

Criticism is a difficult area for non-assertive people. The aggressive person hits back. The submissive person feels worse than ever. But there are some rules to follow...

04. Practise 02 on "Criticism"

What is your normal way of responding to criticism? Turn to the person next to you and exchange some words of criticism. Respond assertively.

05. Saying "No" to Others

Non-assertive people have a hard time saying "No", particularly if the request comes from people they want to impress. But always saying "Yes", regardless of what you want yourself, turns you into a doormat and makes the next request even harder to turn down...

06. Practise 03 on "Learn to Say No"

How difficult do you find it to say “No” to others? Think of situations that you’ve found it hard to get out of. Role play them more assertively.

07. Overcoming Shyness

Unassertiveness and shyness are twins. They both lead to feeling inadequate in social settings. As a result, unassertive people hold back and take no part...

08. Practise 04 on "Shyness"

Where and when do you feel shy? What is it that makes you feel awkward? Talk and walk through these situations more assertively.

09. Admitting You're Wrong

We all make mistakes but not all of us have the courage to own up to them. However, mistakes are what make us human and not something to be ashamed of...

10. Practise 05 on "Making a Mistake"

How do you normally behave when you make a mistake? Think about mistakes you’ve made in the past and handled badly. Re-run them more assertively.

11. Raising Your Self-Esteem

It is thought that up to 80% of us regularly suffer from low self-esteem. This often happens when we compare ourselves to others who appear to be more confident, more assertive, and more successful than we are...

12. Practise 06 on "Raise Your Self-Esteem"

On a scale of 1 (low) to 10 (high), how would you rate your self-esteem? Why did you select this rating? What self-talk would you like to change?

13. Expressing Your Feelings

One reason for low self-esteem is the tendency to believe that your views are not as important as other people's. This often happens when you feel you are not as articulate as others in expressing your thoughts and feelings...

14. Practise 07 on "Express Yourself"

Form a group of 5 or 6 and choose a topic to discuss. Let everyone in the group express themselves assertively for 1 minute each.

What Next?

If you have worked through each step in this newsletter, you will now have access to an invaluable resource to add to your e-learning store.

And, with this as your starting point, you can now move ahead by using the learning resources on Manage Train Learn to develop your knowledge and skills.

With over 22,000 learning resources on our 6 websites, with 2 sites offering free downloads, you can now take charge of your own learning.

Simply commit yourself each day to learning something new from MTL and then, - when you fully understand it, - reflect upon it, practise it, apply it, and review it, and in no time at all, you will have mastered the skill with confidence.

Thanks for reading this edition of the "People Skills" newsletter and good luck with your ongoing learning.

Oh, and one last thing.

In the spirit of making the world a freer, happier and more enlightened place...

...please pass this newsletter on.

Thankyou!

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