Assertiveness and Self-Confidence Student Manual Corporate Training Materials

Assertiveness and Self-Confidence Student Manual Corporate Training Materials

TABLE OF CONTENTS Module One: Getting Started...4 Workshop Objectives... 5 Module Two: What Does Self-Confidence Mean To You?...6 What is Assertiveness?... 6 What is Self-Confidence?... 7 The Four Styles... 7 Module Three: Obstacles to Our Goals... 10 Types of Negative Thinking... 10 Case Study... 12 Personal Application... 13 Module Four: Communication Skills... 14 Listening and Hearing; They Aren t the Same Thing... 14 Asking Questions... 16 Body Language... 17 Module Five: The Importance of Goal Setting... 18 Why Goal Setting is Important... 19 Setting SMART Goals... 20

Module Six: Feeling the Part... 21 Identifying Your Worth... 21 Creating Positive Self-Talk... 22 Identifying and Addressing Strengths and Weaknesses... 23 Module Seven: Looking the Part... 24 The Importance of Appearance... 24 The Role of Body Language... 24 First Impressions Count... 25 Module Eight: Sounding the Part... 26 It s How You Say It... 26 Sounding Confident... 27 Using I Messages... 28 Module Nine: Powerful Presentations... 29 What to Do When You re on the Spot... 29 Using STAR to Make Your Case... 29 S = Situation... 29 T = Task... 30 A = Action... 30 R = Result... 30

Summary... 30 Module Ten: Coping Techniques... 31 Building Rapport... 31 Expressing Disagreement... 32 Coming to Consensus... 33 Module Eleven: Dealing with Difficult Behavior... 34 Dealing with Difficult Situations... 34 Key Tactics... 35 Module Twelve: Wrapping Up... 37 Words from the Wise... 37

Learning is not a spectator sport. D. Blocher Module One: Getting Started Welcome to the Assertiveness and Self-Confidence workshop. Assertiveness and self-confidence are comprised of important interpersonal communications skills and traits that can be learned and practiced. This workshop will provide you with many tips, techniques, and opportunities to try out your own skills.

Workshop Objectives Research has consistently demonstrated that when clear goals are associated with learning, the learning occurs more easily and rapidly. With that in mind, let s review our goals for today. By the end of this workshop, you should be able to: Define assertiveness and self-confidence, and list the four styles of communication Describe the types of negative thinking, and how one can overcome negative thoughts Explain the difference between listening and hearing, and understand the importance of body language and questioning skills in communication Define the importance of goal setting, and practice setting SMART goals for assertive behavior Utilize methodologies for understanding your worth -- and the use of positive self-talk List reasons why a pleasing appearance and body language are critical for creating a strong first impression Practice sending positive communications phrased as I-Messages Use the STAR model to make your case during a presentation challenge Display rapport-building skills through assertive methods of expressing disagreement and consensus-building techniques Practice strategies for gaining positive outcomes in difficult interpersonal situations.

Who has confidence in himself will gain the confidence of others. Leib Lazarow Module Two: What Does Self-Confidence Mean To You? What is Assertiveness? An assertive person is confident and direct in dealing with others. Assertive communications promote fairness and equality in human interactions, based on a positive sense of respect for self and others. It is the direct communication of a person s needs, wants, and opinions without punishing, threatening, or putting down another person. Assertive behavior includes the ability to stand up for a person s legitimate rights without violating the rights of others or being overly fearful in the process. A skill that can be learned, assertive behavior is situationally specific; meaning different types of assertive behavior can be used in different situations. Assertive behavior involves three categories of skills; self-affirmation, expressing positive feelings, and expressing negative feelings. Each will be explored during this course.

What is Self-Confidence? Self-confidence is a belief in oneself, one's abilities, or one's judgment. It is freedom from doubt. When you believe you can change things -- or make a difference in a situation, you are much more likely to succeed. As a self-confident person, you walk with a bounce in your step. You can control your thoughts and emotions and influence others. You are more prepared to tackle everyday challenges and recover from setbacks. This all leads to a greater degree of optimism and life satisfaction. The Four Styles There are four styles of communication: Passive, aggressive, passive-aggressive, and assertive. THE PASSIVE PERSON Passive behavior is the avoidance of the expression of opinions or feelings, protecting one s rights, and identifying and meeting one s needs. Passive individuals exhibit poor eye contact and slumped body posture, and tend to speak softly or apologetically. Passives express statements implying that: I m unable to stand up for my rights. I don t know what my rights are. I get stepped on by everyone." I m weak and unable to take care of myself. People never consider my feelings.

THE AGGRESSIVE PERSON An aggressive individual communicates in a way that violates the rights of others. Thus, aggressive communicators are verbally or physically abusive, or both. Aggressive communication is born of low selfesteem, often caused by past physical or emotional abuse, unhealed emotional wounds, and feelings of powerlessness. Aggressives, displaying a low tolerance for frustration, use humiliation, interrupt frequently, and use criticism or blame to attack others. They use piercing eye contact, and are not good listeners. Aggressives express statements implying that: The other person is inferior, wrong, and not worth anything The problem is the other person s fault They are superior and right They will get their way regardless of the consequences They are entitled, and that the other person owes them. THE PASSIVE-AGGRESSIVE PERSON The passive-aggressive person uses a communication style in which the individual appears passive on the surface, but is really acting out anger in a subtle, indirect, or behind-the-scenes way. Passive-aggressive people usually feel powerless, stuck, and resentful. Alienated from others, they feel incapable of dealing directly with the object of their resentments. Rather, they express their anger by subtly undermining the real or imagined object of their resentments. Frequently they mutter to themselves instead of confronting another person. They often smile at you, even though they are angry, use subtle sabotage, or speak with sarcasm.

Passive-aggressive individuals use communication that implies: I m weak and resentful, so I sabotage, frustrate, and disrupt. I m powerless to deal with you head on so I must use guerilla warfare. I will appear cooperative, but I m not. THE ASSERTIVE PERSON An assertive individual communicates in a way that clearly states his or her opinions and feelings, and firmly advocates for his or her rights and needs without violating the rights of others. Assertive communication is born of high self-esteem. Assertives value themselves, their time, and their emotional, spiritual, and physical needs. They are strong advocates for themselves -- while being very respectful of the rights of others. Assertive people feel connected to other people. They make statements of needs and feelings clearly, appropriately, and respectfully. Feeling in control of themselves, they speak in calm and clear tones, are good listeners, and maintain good eye contact. They create a respectful environment for others, and do not allow others to abuse or manipulate them. The assertive person uses statements that imply: I am confident about who I am. I cannot control others, but I control myself. I speak clearly, honestly, and to the point. I know I have choices in my life, and I consider my options. I am fully responsible for my own happiness. We are equally entitled to express ourselves respectfully to one another.

If you can find a path with no obstacles, it probably doesn't lead anywhere. Frank A. Clark Module Three: Obstacles to Our Goals Types of Negative Thinking Negative thinking is the process of thinking negative rather than positive thoughts. Seemingly, positive thinking requires effort while negative thinking is uninvited and happens easily. A person who has been brought up in a happy and positive atmosphere, where people value success and self-improvement will have a much easier time thinking positively. One who was brought up in a poor or difficult situation will probably continue to expect difficulties and failure. Negative thoughts center on the individual, others, and the future. Negative thinking causes problems such as depression, pessimism, and anxiety. Typical types of negative thinking are described on the next page.

Type of Thinking Overgeneralization Global labeling Filtering Polarized thinking Self-blame Personalization Mind reading Control fallacies Emotional reasoning As the thinker, you: Make a general universal rule from one isolated event Automatically use disparaging labels to describe yourself Pay attention selectively to the negative, disregarding the positive Group things into absolute, black and white categories, assuming that you must be perfect or you are worthless Persistently blame yourself for things that may not be your fault Assume that everything has something to do with you, negatively comparing yourself to everyone else Feel that people don't like you or are angry with you, without any real evidence Feel that you have total responsibility for everybody and everything, or that you have no control as a helpless victim Believe that things are the way you feel about them

Possible answers: Negative Self Statement Type Potential Rebuttal They will reject me. Mind reading I have no way of knowing what they think. That's up to them. I'm weird. I'll be tongue-tied. I'm always like that Overgeneralization That's not true. Sometimes I'm quite articulate. I'm such a dud. Global labeling I'm not a dud; I'm just quiet. So I'll be looking at me. My clothes are different, and I don't like my hair. It's hopeless. There's nothing I can do about it. Mind reading Control fallacy They couldn't care how I look. That's all in my head. Nothing is ever completely hopeless. That's enough defeatism. Case Study The following case study will help you analyze obstacles to one person s ability to reach a goal. Joe Smith has been a lawyer at Big City Law Firm for six years. He is a high performer, and has been told that he will be up for partner at the firm within the next twelve months. Sue Smith has worked for five years as a financial analyst at Neighboring Town Manufacturing Company, receiving excellent performance reviews. She is well thought of by her peers and has willingly taken on some sticky special projects in the past two years. Joe and Sue have two children, a boy in fifth grade at the local elementary school, and an eighth grade daughter at a magnet junior high school in Big City. Sue has the major responsibility for the children s transportation, extracurricular activities, and medical appointments.

When the accounting manager recently announced he was leaving the company to live a green life in Colorado, Sue was encouraged by the Chief Financial Officer to submit a job bid for the manager s position. Excited about the opportunity, Sue shared the news that evening with Joe. He said to her: How do you know you can perform that job with your experience? Who will look after the kids while you re stuck at work late into the evening solving last-minute accounting problems? Don t I make enough money to support this family without you having to be away from home, the kids and me even more? Sue knows that Joe is the breadwinner, and she is reluctant to assert herself. Help Sue out by writing some assertive statements that she can make to Joe in support of her goal of gaining a promotion to manager. Personal Application We all have situations in our personal lives where the ability to be assertive helps us achieve our goals. Now we'll each practice the opportunity to develop assertive responses.

The one who listens does the most work, not the one who speaks. Stephen R. Covey Module Four: Communication Skills Strong communication skills are essential for assertive interaction with others. Listening and Hearing; They Aren t the Same Thing Hearing is the act of perceiving sound by the ear. Assuming an individual is not hearing-impaired, hearing simply happens. Listening, however, is something that one consciously chooses to do. Listening requires concentration so that the brain processes meaning from words and sentences. Listening leads to learning, but this is not always an easy task. The normal adult rate of speech is 100-150 words per minute, but the brain can think at a rate of 400-500 words per minute, leaving extra time for daydreaming, or anticipating the speaker s or the recipient s next words. As opposed to hearing, listening skills can be learned and refined. The art of active listening allows you to fully receive a message from another person. Especially in a situation involving anger or a tense interchange, active listening allows you to be sensitive to the multiple dimensions of communication that make up an entire message. These dimensions include: THE OCCASION FOR THE MESSAGE. What is the reason why the person is communicating with me now?