r stereo loud enough that you canÍt study.
d. You are in line at the movies and some people cut in line in front of you.
e. You have a new boyfriend or girlfriend who you really like but you donÍt really like the way they kiss.
f. You get a "C" on an essay test but you think you deserve a "B."
g. Your parents decide they donÍt want to help pay your tuition next semester because they are going to go on a cruise.
h. You are in a restaurant and your food is not hot enough.
- Reflecting on Experience: Areas for Personal Assertiveness
- Have participants identify and write down one area in which they currently tend to act passively, aggressively, or passive-aggressively in which they would like to learn to act more assertively.
- Have each participant share their area for improvement. In a small group, you may be able to have all participants share with the whole group. With a larger group, participants can break into groups of two or three and share with one another.
- Assimilating and Conceptualizing: Types of Assertion
- Distribute "Types of Assertion" handout
- Definitions and examples of different types of assertion should be read from the handout. Participants can be asked to read the definitions and examples out loud.
- Experimenting and Practicing: Role Play Practice
- Ask for volunteers to help practice some of these assertion skills. When a participant agrees to do a role play, have them come forward to the front of the room. Ask them what situation they would like to role play and which skills from "Types of Assertion" they would like to practice in this situation. Identify other participants to play different roles. The facilitator should direct the action and may make suggestions if the volunteer gets stuck.
- After the role play, ask for positive feedback from the other participants (e.g., "What did you like about the way Juan dealt with the situation?"). After positive feedback you can ask for other suggestions (e.g., "Can you think of any other strategies that Juan could have used?").
- Planning for Application: Action Plan
- Have participants identify and write down specific assertive techniques from "Types of Assertion" that they would like to use in one or more specific situation in the coming week.
- Have each participant share their action plan. In a small group, you may be able to have all participants share with the whole group. With a larger group, participants can break into groups of two or three and share their action plan with one another.
- Questions and Answers / Discussion
- Ask participants if they have any other questions or comments about assertiveness or about how to use assertion in different situation.
Jeff Brooks-Harris is a psychologist at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa's Counseling and Student Development Center.
Copyright © 1997 Jeff E. Brooks-Harris. Permission is granted to copy and use this material for educational and non-profit purposes only. This copyright statement and acknowledgement of authorship should remain intact on materials you copy from this website.