Assertiveness Training Workshop - Half Day

Course Outline

Assertiveness is being able to confidently express one's ideas and needs while respecting the rights of others to have their own ideas and needs. This highly interactive skills practice course will empower participants to make constructive changes in their behaviour and develop the sense of control that is necessary for positive self- esteem and effective interpersonal relationships.

Participants will learn a range of techniques to improve their capacity to manage the various demands made on them in their interaction with others, with particular reference to the workplace.

This course is designed for anyone in the workplace who would like the opportunity to further develop their art of interacting with co-workers in a non-aggressive and assertive/responsive manner (in a supportive social learning environment).

On completion of the workshop, participants will:

• Define and distinguish between non-assertive (passive), assertive and aggressive behaviours,
• Identify misconceptions about assertiveness,
• Understand that assertiveness is valued differently in different cultures,
• Recognise potential emotional blocks to assertiveness skills acquisition.
• Acquire and refine assertive communication skills,
• Apply practical assertiveness techniques to a variety of situations,
• Communicate more effectively with people (particularly at work) ,
• Strengthen relationships and derive increased satisfaction from work.

• Definitions of assertiveness and assertive communication.
• Characteristics of assertive communication, including body language.
• Misconceptions associated with assertiveness.
• Emotional and behavioural aspects of assertive communication training.
• Establish goals for change.
• Principles for increasing assertiveness (i.e. engagement in behavioural skills acquisition).
• Analysis of assertive communications of others:
  • Explore cultural perspectives/contexts and distinguish differences between assertion, aggression and non-assertiveness.
  • Practice applications of assertive model.
• Analysis of own communications:
  • How assertive am I? – Establishing what situations participants are nonassertive?
  • Aggressive? Assertive? The importance of identifying and removing emotional blocks to gaining assertive communication skills (e.g. anxiety)
• Rehearsal of assertive communications:
  • Use list of situations linked to goals generated by participants.
  • Model and practice building of hierarchies of behaviours to lead up to behaving assertively in desired situations.
  • Assertiveness behavioural techniques and skills: applying these to problem situations, practice and feedback . (e.g. role plays, modelling, scaffolding, rehearsal, coaching, giving and receiving feedback, broken record, fogging, negative enquiry, negative assertion and workable compromise).
• Communicate assertively:
  • Steps to healthy self-assertion.
  • Acting out assertive communication (e.g. speak, gesture and listen with power).
  • Social reinforcement and supportive feedback.
• How to transfer new assertion behavioural skills in the future especially in the workplace.

This is a ½ day course for a maximum of 15 participants per workshop.

TherapyWorks can customise the workshop to suit the specific needs of participants and organisations.