There is a fine line between being too assertive and not assertive enough. Take the quiz below to determine where you are on that line 🙂

Quiz Link Here –> Click Me!

What does it mean to be assertive? An assertive person does not falter when answer questions. They know what they want, when they want it, and how to ask for what they want. Assertive people confidently state their opinions and are not intimidated by those who disagree with their ideas.

9 Tips on Increasing Your Assertiveness

1. Accept responsibility for your words. They are YOURS, and you should feel empowered to use them. Own them.
2. Control your tone and pace of voice. Unassertive people typically speak very quickly and with a higher pitched voice when they are intimidated. Assert yourself by lowering your voice and talking at an average pace.
3. Develop good posture. Stand (or sit) up straight. You will feel more in control and appear less vulnerable with tall, strong posture.
4. Use eye contact. When you can look someone in the eye and hold a conversation, they will automatically take you more seriously than if you are looking around and avoiding eye contact.
5. Have a firm handshake. Don’t break their hand or anything, but also don’t let your little hand flop around during a handshake. Take this seriously as a symbol of professionalism.
6. Agree to disagree. You will not always agree with everything someone tells you. Assert your opinion, and if it works out to neither party changing opinions, then agree to disagree.
7. Be level-headed. If you need to increase your assertiveness, odds are, you feel inferior. Develop a sense of empowerment to balance out these feelings. Level your thoughts and belief that what you have to say is equally as important as what someone else has to say.
8. Step outside of your comfort zone. That is where the magic happens, anyways! Expose yourself regularly to conversations where your opinions and thoughts can be voiced.
9. Learn how to say “No.” That’s all I have to say about this tip for now 🙂 Learning how to say that 1 special word (NO!) is another blog post for another day! So look out for that one!

That’s all for now! Comment below if you have a specific topic you would like to read on the blog. Feel free to share to help your friends develop in the area of assertiveness!

– L