How to be assertive in any situation

Putting it into practice

Having studied the various aspects of assertive behaviour

we will now look at how these can be put into practice. If

you examine the answers that you gave to the questions in

the quiz in Chapter 1 you will have realised in which areas

you are least, and most, assertive. We look at these areas

in different chapters in Part 2. The case studies cover all

aspects of assertiveness from saying ‘no’ to receiving

criticism. You will also see from the case studies some

suggestions about how the situations in the quiz could be

handled in an assertive way.

When you have understood and learned the ways to change

your behaviour and become more assertive you will be

ready for the final stage of your journey: decision-making.

Being able to make good decisions – decisions that you

have thought about carefully and know that you will not

regret – is all part of becoming assertive. Just as there are

clear and simple steps that you can make to help yourself

become more assertive in your dealings with other people

there are also logical steps that can be learned to help you

make effective decisions. In Chapter 10 we look closely at

these steps and see them in practice by referring to the

case studies in previous chapters.

5

‘All happy families resemble one another, each

unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.’

Anna Karenina, Leo Tolstoy

Chapter