Additional Assertiveness Techniques

Active Transmitting and Receiving" to confirm understanding.

The "Active Transmission and Reception" technique is a method of explicitly verifying that a message has been correctly understood, thus eliminating misunderstandings.

From the sender's perspective (transmission), it consists of politely asking the receiver to repeat the message in his or her own words, using a non-imposing phrase such as, "To make sure I have been clear, could you summarize what I just communicated to you?"

From the receiver's perspective (reception), it involves repeating key information to confirm its correct assimilation.

For example, if someone says "the meeting is tomorrow at 2:30 p.m.", you respond "Understood, meeting tomorrow at 2:30 p.m.".

This simple confirmation loop ensures that both parties are on the same page.

The "Negative Interrogation" to solicit constructive feedback.

"Negative Interrogation" is a powerful assertive technique of proactively soliciting constructive feedback from others, especially about our areas for improvement.

Rather than passively waiting for feedback, this tool allows us to create a safe space for honest criticism.

For example, after a meeting, a leader might ask his or her team, "What did you think of the meeting? What do you think you could have done better to make it more efficient?"

By actively inviting criticism, it demonstrates great confidence, a genuine willingness to change and improve, and opens the channels of communication wide open.

In addition to building trust, this technique provides us with invaluable information for our own professional development.

Change the word "But" to "And" to build on others' ideas.

One of the simplest yet most transformative modifications in assertive communication is to replace the word "but" with the word "and".

The word "but" has a negating effect; it negates or invalidates what has just been said.

When we respond to an idea with "I like your idea, but...", the other person feels that his or her proposal is about to be discarded.

On the other hand, if we respond "I like your idea, and we could add...", the connotation is completely different. The word "and" is additive, collaborative.

It signals that we are building on the other's idea, rather than replacing it.

This small linguistic shift transforms