What is assertiveness? There are many definitions on this topic, but the fact remains that assertiveness has something to do with assertive behavior and self-confidence. It is a style of communication and a very important trait in the area of therapy and psychology.
You may have heard or experienced that sometimes it feels like you are fighting an uphill battle when trying to communicate with other people who you perceive as being better than you are. Maybe you are feeling as if your thoughts are going out of control and there’s nothing you can really do about it. You may also be feeling as if other people are controlling your life so you have to find ways to assert yourself and make yourself feel better. If you are experiencing these types of problems, then you may need some counseling to help you deal with aggressive behavior and self-confidence issues.
In the study of human behavior, assertiveness is one of the key factors that contribute to a person’s success or failure. With that being said, most business owners and sales professionals have been advised to be assertive in order to increase their success and improve their sales. Now you’re not doing anything crazy or even taking it to an extreme, but these are just a few examples of how assertiveness can be useful in improving your performance. I’m sure you’ll agree that there are many other situations where assertiveness can prove to be essential. This doesn’t mean though that you should turn into a shouting match or a raging lunatic.
While you don’t want to become mean to get your point across, showing that you are willing to stand up for yourself when others need to be treated with respect can go a long way to improving your image and your career prospects. Whether you are talking to a customer, manager, client, or colleague, having a strong sense of assertiveness can make a huge difference in terms of how you interact with others. And while this is a positive thing, it can also lead to problems if you don’t learn how to communicate assertively with the people around you. So how can you practice assertiveness and still get the results you want?
Learning how to communicate assertively starts by changing your behavior. You must learn to communicate in a more polite manner. You should learn to smile more often, be less aggressive, be direct, and start and finish your sentences with “I” or “me”. This is not to say you shouldn’t use curse words; quite the contrary, if you can master using them properly, they can really add spice to your conversation. But when you are talking to someone whose mood or demeanor makes you feel that you’re being attacked, you can bet that they will turn around and look to the exit as soon as possible.
When it comes to assertiveness, practice makes perfect so keep doing it throughout your life. It doesn’t matter if you’re still shy, aggressive, or just a little unsure of yourself, learn to accept your flaws and mistakes and don’t let them hold you back. It doesn’t matter if you think you’ll never be confident to talk to the opposite sex or if you have a lot of trouble making and taking orders from people, there’s always hope for improvement. Remember that learning new skills is always easier when you have something to start with, so start practicing your assertive skills today and improve your life in the process.