Assertiveness

The link between a lack of assertiveness and stress is not difficult to see. Not asserting ourselves can lead to stress - we don't express ourselves, don't communicate to others our likes and dislikes, and, if we're passive, put others before ourselves, and denigrate our opinions and the value of our contributions. Problems can occur because others don't know what it is we like and dislike, because we don't tell them, for fear of upsetting them. Even worse, if we've spent our lives putting others first, and burying our own preferences, we can end up not knowing ourselves what our real values, opinions, likes and dislikes are. Assertiveness is about relationships, and if we don't express ourselves as we would want to, it can lead to relationships we're not happy with, at home, at work, wherever. Learning how to be more assertive won't change other people. However, it's likely that assertive behaviour on our part may well change the way that others behave towards us. The purpose of assertiveness is to express ourselves, our feelings, emotions and opinions, and achieve our goals. This way, we maximise the chances of people behaving towards us in a way we find acceptable and appropriate. It may be that you want to

improve the quality of your relationships, some of them, all of them, and improve your self-confidence, as relationships at home/at work aren't all how you want them to be
persuade others to do as you wish, without coming across as bullying as you are in a position of authority at home/at work

Assertiveness Skills Training

Stress Management Plus offer a half-day or full-day training course in assertiveness skills. We run the course at our Reading premises, but can also do so in-house at your company's premises. The aim of the course is to enable participants to choose to be assertive when they deem it appropriate. (It may not always be appropriate to assert oneself - in a threatening situation; with a manager at work where disagreement might lead to difficulty for example - but what we're interested in is being able to do so when we choose to do so).

By the end of the course, participants are expected to be able to

state the difference between aggressive, assertive and passive behaviour
describe 3 behaviours associated with assertiveness
demonstrate an assertiveness technique
describe 3 assertiveness skills

The course covers some of the reasons why we behave in assertive and non-assertive ways; some of the pitfalls and advantages of the different behaviours; it provides an opportunity to explore and practice some assertivenss techniques. It does not show how to change other people. Rather it identifies what we can do for ourselves to express ourselves as we want to, when we want to.

For further information, or to book a place on one of our courses, please call 0118 9721820 or email info@stressmanagementplus.com.

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