Learn to Assert Yourself

Pinpoint your own blocks to assertiveness: fear of disapproval, need to please others, fear of being too masculine or feminine, or the dread of making mistakes.

Visualize yourself dealing effectively with a problem situation by considering alternative responses. Do not act hastily or in anger-calm yourself before the confrontation-take a deep breath with eyes closed and concentrate on controlling your temper. Practice remaining calm, collected, courteous. Be prepared to present yourself rationally and factually without emotion or conjecture. Avoid making mountains out of molehills. Pursuing an issue that is small will discredit you when an important issue needs to be faced and resolved. Repeat this step as often as necessary until you can comfortably imagine yourself dealing with the situation.

Assertiveness cannot always get you everything you want or force others to change. Yet it is far more effective than being submissive or aggressive. Assertiveness interacts with other communication and relationship skills. You need not always be assertive, but it is necessary to know how to be assertive when you wish to be. Build your changes in behavior gradually by choosing small problems prior to tackling more central areas of your life. Allow others time to acclimate themselves to hearing from you in your new voice. Once you have begun to function more assertively in your interactions, you are in the position to encourage that trait in others.

Copyright AE Schwartz & Associates All rights reserved. For additional presentation materials and resources: ReadySetPresent and for a Free listing as a Trainer, Consultant, Speaker, Vendor/Organization: TrainingConsortium

CEO, A.E. Schwartz & Associates, Boston, MA., a comprehensive organization which offers over 40 skills based management training programs. Mr. Schwartz conducts over 150 programs annually for clients in industry, research, technology, government, Fortune 100/500 companies, and nonprofit organizations worldwide. He is often found at conferences as a key note presenter and/or facilitator. His style is fast-paced, participatory, practical, and humorous. He has authored over 65 books and products, and taught/lectured at over a dozen colleges and universities throughout the United States.

---

Behavioral Extensions and Its Implications at Workplaces

The study of Behavioral extension involves investigating the source of an actual demonstrated behavioral action. According to Behavioral Extension belief, no action can be seen as a disconnected expression. Every action is a... Read More

Innovation Management ? Rigorous data analysis

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.There are other useful definitions in this field, for example, creativity can be... Read More

How to Make a Difference Every Day

Every day, everyone can make the world a better place. It's simple; it's quick and it is free. All it requires is a recipe containing you (yes, that's YOU!), awareness and a natural... Read More

How to Hold Effective Staff Meetings

Many people believe that they conduct effective meetings, when all they really do is host a party. Or worse, they deliver a monologue. In either case, their meetings produce little.Here's how to hold... Read More

Creativity Management and Time Pressure

There is a pervasive belief that time pressure stimulates creativity. This is both true and false.There are a number of forces at work:a) Time pressure increases creative output. By forcing idea production, setting... Read More

Growing Profits is Easy!

Everyone involved in running a business from the smallest start-up to a major corporate dreams about how to achieve sustained profitable growth. I'm a great believer that business is simple - it's only... Read More

What to Ask When You?re Invited to a Meeting

1) Where is the agenda? A meeting without an agenda is like a journey without a map; it will always waste your time. Once you have the agenda, make sure that it consists... Read More

Three Professional Services Resolutions for 2005

With client expectations higher than ever before, and the gradual industry recovery ahead, consulting firms will need to focus more than ever on carefully identifying and serving the right clients.Based on a recent... Read More

3 Steps You Can Use Developing Leaders In Your Industry

With the economy bordering on a recession, every company is looking for ways to increase revenues while decreasing costs. Some companies believe one of the easiest ways to do this is to cut... Read More

How to Create a Positive Work Atmosphere

Positive versus Negative WorkplacesWe have all worked in places where we grew to dread getting up in the morning, and a few of us have had the pleasure of working for a boss... Read More

Develop Your Managers and Keep Your Staff

Following on from the last edition of The Organised Times where we spoke about developing the people in your business, this week we're focussing on the importance of the continual development of your... Read More

How to Overcome Your Fear of Firing

OVERCOMING FEAR OF FIRING "It was obvious that this employee could not relate well to clients. But I could not bring myself to fire him.? and while I wavered, things only got worse... Read More

Best Practices Plan: Dissemination of a Great Idea

Good news spreads quickly News of the invention of the wheel must have traveled in every direction as quickly as horse or camel could run. Those who learned of its advantages over the... Read More

Nine Vital Lessons For Avoiding Training Fads That Waste Time, Money and Enthusiasm

Unfortunately, at least two thirds of much of the training and development effort undertaken by organisations to develop their people is wasted.This is such as shame isn't it? Waste of money is bad... Read More

Leadership Skills Means Turnover is Not a Problem

"Ha!" you say. "For someone to make a statement like that, they obviously haven't worked in the real world and certainly have never had to run a company." Well, let me assure you.... Read More

Smart Staffing: Replacing a Key Manager

Have you been in this situation? One of your top managers left suddenly and you're under the gun to replace her quickly. So you promoted her assistant. That was a disaster. You now... Read More

Relationship Building - 5 Tips and 5 Questions

And is isn't hard - it's more about focusing on people, who they are and what interests them. And that's just where you spend your time. About them - not you, not your... Read More

Computer Consulting Profit Secrets

Do you own or manage a computer consulting company? Are you having trouble growing your computer consulting company's profits?If so, then you must learn how to focus on your computer consulting firm's profit... Read More

6 Simple Steps to Dealing with Difficult Managers

The challenge of managing difficult managers can be rather daunting, especially when you inherit them! If they are your own born and bred, then hopefully they would have evolved into great managers!Experience shows... Read More

Micromanagement and Delegation

Micro-Management and Delegation Recently I had a long discussion with a friend of mine about Managers and managing. She is a former HR Manager for... Read More

What is the Most Difficult Part of an Improvement Program?

Answer: Starting one.Most of us realize that there is probably a better way to perform certain functions or tasks, but improvement programs seem to take second seat to getting the product out the... Read More

Is Your Employee Newsletter Management Propaganda?

It should not be. If it is an effective newsletter, it will serve the needs of readers (employees) as much as it serves the needs of the publisher (management).Let me explain how to... Read More

Quality Hiring: Are You Doing It Right?

Quality hiring is more than running ads, screening, interviewing and checking references. It is a series of specific procedures that can bring in top candidates or create bottlenecks and inefficiencies. Here are six... Read More

What You Should Know if People Dont Buy From You and People Dont Visit Your Web Site

It is essential to understand what work and what do not work when you run business, especially through Internet. 1. You don't make people feel safe when they order. Remind people that they... Read More

Get Down With OCP: Evaluating DBA Job Applicants in an OCP World

Not long ago, weeding through DBA applicants with a tech interview was a straightforward process. You'd ask candidates 200 or so technical questions. If they got 100 correct answers, you knew they'd been... Read More

Quality Staffing: Stop Placing the Wrong People in the Wrong Jobs

You can possibly teach a turkey to climb a tree ? but it is a lot easier to hire a squirrel. Quality staffing means selecting the right people with the right skills for... Read More

Effective Meetings Begin With a Real Agenda

Everyone knows that an agenda is the key to an effective meeting. But an agenda that consists of a list of nouns, such as budget, software, and picnic, is useless. Here's how to... Read More

Learn About Commercial Collections Agencies Fees

As with any other service, there are good and bad commercial collection agencies. Beware of any agency that offers you cut rate commissions far below the accepted Commercial Law League rates, offers you... Read More

Implementing Change

There are different reactions that individuals experience during time of change. Understanding the emotions of an individual may better help them get through the period of unexpected change. A possible reaction is anger... Read More