Assertive behaviour allows us to maintain effectively our point of view, without prevarication of or suppleness to the counterpart’s position. An assertive way of communication goes beyond the perfect balance between two poles: passivity and aggressiveness. It involves the conversation partner and aims at finding a common solution.
Among other things, to achieve assertive communication it is essential to:
– Listen proactively (not avoiding eye contact, using gestures to express approval);
– Summarize and reformulate what has been said by the interlocutor;
– Share one’s point of view;
– Confirm that there is a relationship with the interlocutor that goes beyond the issue under discussion;
– Show empathy and propose to solve together.
Many more useful gimmicks are available at http://bit.ly/VYb147 with a selected bibliography. Now, try to put them into practice!
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Assertiveness is the ability, in any situation, to clearly define our opinion, make it known, defend it without aggressibvrnress, admitting different positions on the other side.
This feature is manifested through an ability to listen, juxtaposed to a clear exposition of our views.