Use this pack to demonstrate what assertive behaviour is and how it can be used in a wide range of work situations. Take the 24 group activities and incorporate them into sessions on customer care, team working, meetings, managing change and giving feedback. Give participants the confidence to open up channels of communication in difficult situations. Now you can show your colleagues how to:
* be assertive in meetings
* use assertiveness skills in the face of anger
* receive and give praise without embarrassment
* feel confident and good about themselves
* use assertiveness to improve their time management
* manage aggression
* deal with non-assertive behaviour from others
List of Activities:
1. Rights in assertiveness
To enable delegates to identify the rights they give themselves and other in the context of assertiveness. This session, together with Session 2 forms the basis of all work on assertiveness.
2. Behaviour styles
To enable delegates to identify the behaviour characteristics of themselves and others. This session, together with Session 1, forms the basis of all work on assertiveness.
3. Handling aggressive behaviour
To enable participants to behave assertively in the face of aggressive behaviour. For all staff who wish to increase their assertive skills.
4. Dealing with non-assertive behaviour
To enable participants to recognise non-assertive behaviour and to deal with it assertively. For staff who wish to develop their assertive skills.
5. Customer care
To enable participants to guide their staff in communicating assertively with customers. For staff who manage front-line staff. Many front-line staff will also benefit from participating in this session although trainers may opt for ending the session after the identification of knowledge, skills and attributes and/or linking it to another session, for example Session 17, Handling anger.
6. Making and refusing requests
To enable participants to make requests in a clear and direct manner. To enable participants to refuse requests in a polite but firm manner. For staff who wish to increase their assertiveness skills.
7. Asserting yourself in meetings
To enable participants to contribute effectively to meetngs. For staff who have to attend meetings and wish to be able to contribute effectively to the direction and decisions of thos meetings.
8. The assertive chairperson
To enable participants to chair meetings in a professional and effective manner. For all staff who currently chair meetings of any size or who are likely to do so in the future.
9. Criticism
To enable participants to give and receive criticism in an assertive manner. For all staff who wish to improve their assertiveness skills.
10. Time management
To help participants improve their use of time. For staff for whom interpersonal dealings comprise a large percentage of the working day.
11. Tackling interpersonal problems
- a model approach To enable participants to adopt a calm and assertive approach to problems with the behaviour of others. For staff who wish to improve their assertive skills and open up channels of communication in difficult circumstances.
12. Handling responses to the model
To enable participants to prepare for possible responses to their model and to react assertively. For staff who wish to improve their assertiveness skills and develop their use of models for handling interpersonal problems.
13. The assertive team
To enable teams to improve their communication skills and increase their effectiveness. For any team who are either working on a specific project or whose job requries them to be together on a day-to-day basis. The teams can be either vertical (eg Sales Manager, Sales Representatives, Administration Staff) or horizontal (eg staff of equal or similar level within a department).
14. Assertive appraisal
To enable participants to conduct appraisal interviews in an assertive manner. For managers who conduct appraisal interviews or who will be doing so in the future. The exercise will stand alone for practised managers studying assertive communication, or can complement general training on the subject of appraisal interviewing for those who have some knowledge of assertive communication.
15. The internal customer
To develop and improve communication between different departments. For staff representing departments who need to communicate effectively with each other. Ideally, an approximately equal number from each department.
16. Assertive negotiation
To enable delegates to negotiate mutually satisfactory outcomes to problems. For staff who wish to improve their assertiveness skills.
17. Handling anger
To enable participants to maintain their assertiveness in the face of anger. For all staff who wish to improve their assertiveness skills.
18. Giving and receiving praise and compliments
To enable delegates to work towards the creation of a positive environment through giving constructive praise. For staff with a supervisory or management role.
19. The superwoman syndrome
To enable working wives, mothers and others in a similar situation to maximise efficiency and save time. For staff at any level who have to balance the demands of work and home.
20. Image and body language
To enable participants to project a positive image with positive body language. For any staff who wish to develop their assertive skills.
21. Manager and secretary
- an assertive team To improve the working relationship between managers and secretaries. For managers and secretaries who wish to open up lines of communication in order to work more effectively together.
22. Surviving change
- the assertive angle To enable participants to assess their reactions to change and to help their staff through transition in a positive manner. For managers and supervisors in an organisation or department where change is planned or underway.
23. Who am I?
- an icebreaker To allow participants time to get to know each other and settle in to the session. For any staff.
24. Short debates
To enable delegates to focus their views on the theory, purpose and effects of assertiveness.
