Following on from my series on saying no, I last gave a definition of assertiveness, and mentioned the three other behavioral types - passive, aggressive and manipulative. When we think of unassertive behavior, we tend to focus on passive.
Passive behavior is acting in a way that does not meet our needs - saying […]

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I have now put 10 blogs into the category of assertiveness - including all the saying “no” blogs and the bill of rights. But I have yet to define assertiveness, or say why it is so important for having great self confidence.
The best definition I can find, says being assertive means:-
“expressing my rights […]

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My final technique for saying “no”, is by far the simplest - but certainly not the easiest! By just saying “no”, and nothing else you may be perceived as rude or aggressive. But like all the other techniques, circumstances may demand it.
“Can you work tomorrows shift for me”
“No”
“Please, I really need tomorrow off”
“No”
“There’s […]

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Moving on with our saying “No” series, the next stage is another more “negotiation” type statement. Responding with a question, asking for information, is another way of stalling whilst clarifying the exact request being made. Its not giving in, but simply clarify what is being asked.
For example, following on with our request to […]

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I’ve been running a series of blogs that look at saying “No” – an essential part of confident communication. For some, learning to say this small word isn’t easy. We have learnt that saying no makes us uncaring, or selfish. Also, we learn to believe that by saying no we might lose […]

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A “raincheck no”, says a clear no to the current request but does respond with a positive offer:-
I can’t work your shift tomorrow as I’m doing something; however I can help out later in the week if thats any help?”
The bottom line is, though, to only make an offer if you genuinely want to. […]

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