Staff Training

How often do you use assertiveness techniques to make sure your boundaries aren’t being crossed?

Below are five assertiveness techniques anyone can use in the pursuit of more effective and clear communication, setting boundaries and learning to say ‘no’:

1. Good eye contact

Being able to maintain good eye contact is important when trying to be assertive. Good eye contact communicates attention and respect, while a lack of eye contact displays nervousness and disinterest in what the other person is saying.

It is also worth noting that too much eye contact can appear confrontational and aggressive.

2. Maintaining your personal space

Not letting people encroach on your personal space and make you feel uncomfortable is another important part of being assertive. By having the confidence to enforce your boundaries, either verbally or otherwise, you set the precedent for a mutually respectful relationship.

3. Asking people for feedback

Asking for feedback from the people you are talking to is a great way of ensuring that what you meant is what was understood. Simply asking, “Does this make sense to you?” or “How do you feel about that?” shows the listener that you are taking an interest in their thoughts and shows that your request or suggestion is not a demand, and also affirms that you have been clearly understood.

4. Good posture

Your posture when being assertive should always be up right (but not up tight) and open. Crossed arms and legs indicate nervousness, while an open posture displays receptiveness.

5. Tone of voice

It is important to maintain a steady, well-paced tone of voice when being assertive. Many of us have the tendency to speak too quickly when we are nervous, or aggressively when we feel threatened etc., but for our assertive communication to be effective it needs to be delivered in a controlled way.

This means speaking slowly, clearly and in an easily understandable way.

Find out more about assertiveness training by clicking here.

Although in recent years more women have been steadily entering the workforce, there are still inequalities and prejudices present in the workplace that sometimes require an assertive approach.

Typically assertiveness comes more naturally to men. The reason for this is probably because outside of the business world (up until recently, at least) the man has been expected by society to play the more dominant role.

In business, however, gender is not a factor. Men and women are ranked according to business status, not because of their sex.

Learning to become more assertive in the workplace is therefore an important part of operating in the business world, even if it doesn’t come naturally at first.

The reason it is so important for women to become more assertive, however, is not just so she can have her voice heard as loudly as any man’s, but also so she is not disadvantaged in any way either.

For example, many companies reward assertive employees from within. This may come in the form of special projects, bonuses or promotions.

Assertiveness is also a key quality found in leaders, and will be one of the qualities looked for in an up and coming leader.

Assertive employees also experience less stress than their less assertive counterparts and tend to be more efficient and productive.

Find out why assertiveness should be your next workshop by clicking here.

Staff Training presents Assertiveness Training nationwide. Contact info@StaffTraining.co.za for more information.

“I don’t really have time to help but if I say no people might get upset and stop liking me, so maybe I’ll just catch up on my extra work at home tonight.”

“I’m sorry Emma I can’t edit your report, I’m really busy, but I promise I’ll do the next two reports for you to make up for it.”

“I have to help; saying no would be rude and besides, I might want help from them sometime in the future.”

“People will see me differently if I stop being helpful.”

Any of these statements sound familiar?

Unassertiveness can manifest in many different ways, as you can see above, and the excuses we come up with to justify our actions are just as varied.

What one needs to understand about assertiveness is that it’s not about changing who you are as a person, or about being any less helpful, but rather about knowing what you want and need and being confident enough to have your voice heard.

Assertive behaviour is being able to ask for what you need from others and being able to say no when you are unable to help. It is being able to communicate without being aggressive or bossy, even when our rights are being infringed upon.

How assertive or unassertive are you? Check out our assertive vs. aggression checklist here.

Staff Training presents Assertiveness Training nationwide. Find out more here.

Think you’ve got a handle on assertiveness? Read through our assertiveness vs. aggression checklist and make sure you really do…

Sometimes we might think we’re behaving in an assertive way, when really our words and actions come across as more aggressive than we realise.

This is especially true for people new to assertiveness, who sometimes end up being too assertive and in extreme cases can be seen as bullies by their coworkers.

Luckily for us we’re able to pay attention to our own actions and if necessary, change them. If we find we’re becoming aggressive when dealing with a colleague, we’re able to take a second and calm down, or walk away from the situation before revisiting it later on.

If you find yourself expressing any of the following behaviours when dealing with coworkers it’s time to think of an alternative approach.

Aggressive behaviour can be identified through body language by:

Closed or clenched fists
Finger pointing
Hands on hips
Glaring
Leaning forward
Raised voice or shouting

Aggressive behaviour can also be identified by:

Knowingly putting your own needs above those of someone else

Feeling guilty about your words or actions after the event

Alternatively, assertive behaviour is characterised by body language which is:

Straight up, firm yet relaxed
Good eye contact
Facing the person you are speaking to
Speaking loudly enough to be heard by everyone you are addressing
Speaking fluently and with confidence
Open hands or palms

Assertive people are honest about how they feel, are direct and are expressive without overstepping the boundaries or rights of other people.

Find out why assertiveness training should be the next workshop your organisation attends by clicking here.

Staff Training presents Assertiveness Training nationwide. Email info@StaffTraining.co.za for more information.

There are many great benefits to being assertive. Unfortunately for people new to assertiveness it’s often all too easy to blur the lines and become over-assertive or even downright aggressive.

People seem to think that to be assertive you have to follow a set of rules down to a tee. This is not so. In fact, quite the opposite is true.

What needs to be understood about assertiveness is that it’s not a one-size-fits-all form of communication, and what may have been assertive in one situation may not be assertive in another.

For example, there is a difference between using the broken record method of assertiveness to clarify that you cannot increase your workload due to time constraints, and bullying someone into working late for you on a Friday afternoon.

Assertiveness means knowing your rights, exercising them and not allowing them to be infringed upon, but also involves a respect for other people’s rights.

When presenting our Assertiveness Training workshop the Staff Training trainers emphasize that becoming more assertive is not about changing your personality or who you are, but rather about being more confident in voicing what you are already feeling.

Find out why Assertiveness Training is the workshop all employees should attend by clicking here.

Staff Training presents Assertiveness Training nationwide, find out more by contacting info@StaffTraining.co.za

Did you know that how assertive a company’s employees are plays a huge role in the business’s overall productivity?

Aside from benefits like reduced stress and better working relationships between employees, assertiveness has a number of key benefits that all contribute to the company’s productiveness in various ways.

Assertive employees show the following traits:

They take responsibility for finding out who to ask about any situation, instead of letting hold ups dictate their productivity.

They seek to find win-win and fair outcomes and solutions to problems.

They are able to work unsupervised, knowing what procedures to follow and who to ask should problems arise.

They have the confidence to volunteer and say yes to new projects, knowing that assistance is available along the way and that mistakes are opportunities to learn.

They are able to say no and set boundaries to ensure all of their deadlines are met timously.

They are better problem solvers.

They are more decisive, leading to less time wasted over arbitrary decisions.

They are able to provide negative feedback in a constructive and helpful manner, and are able to, while not necessarily agreeing with negative feedback, still receive it in a gracious way.

Staff Training presents Assertiveness Training nationwide. Click your city below to make a booking.

Cape Town – 13 May
Johannesburg – 4 June
Polokwane – 16 July
Durban – 17 July

Find out more about assertiveness training and how it can benefit your own organisation by contacting info@StaffTraining.co.za

Do the benefits of team building exercises justify the time and cost required to carry them out?

To answer this question we need only as far as the immediate benefits of team building and the knock-on effect of these on our company’s overall performance.

In addition to this, the fact is that team building doesn’t need to cost the company anything more than a few hours of time – depending on what activities you choose to do.

So what are the benefits of team building?

Team building leads to better relationships between employees. This includes better communication, higher levels of cooperation, and improved morale among team members.

Managers or team leaders are able to identify particular skills during team building activities such as leadership, delegation, planning, and individual skills that may emerge during the exercises.

Conflicts are more easily identified and dealt with in the low-pressure environment provided by team building activities.

Employees feel as though the company cares about them, leading to higher levels of motivation and loyalty.

Employees engage in a shared positive experience which both brings them together and provides a talking point for months to come.

What all of this means for teams is higher productivity, better distribution of skills and less conflict, which for companies means better results and higher profits.

Download your free Team Building Exercises document with team building activity ideas and descriptions here.

Staff Training is a soft skills training company with more than 30 one and two-day workshops on offer.