Assertiveness Training Courses

What is Assertiveness Training?

Training for assertiveness when you communicate is to learn a very specific type of communication skill. Assertiveness is the ability to appropriately direct, open and honest, and clarifies one’s needs to the other person".

It is the ability to express your opinions positively and with confidence. People with assertiveness skills are in control of themselves and are honest with themselves and others.

Being Assertive vs Being Aggressive-- What's the Difference?

Being assertive is an important communication skill that helps you to better manage yourself, people, and situations. It can help you to influence others in order to gain acceptance, agreement, or even behavior change.

Assertiveness is often confused with aggressiveness since both emphasize standing up for yourself. In reality, though, the two are quite different. Assertive individuals tend to clearly express their wants or feelings while remaining respectful. They want to treat and to be treated "fairly."

Those who use aggressive speech, on the other hand, show little empathy or care toward other people and can come across as abusive when attempting to communicate their wants. They want to "win."

The Benefits of Assertiveness Training

Developing assertiveness skills at work and in life provides several benefits. In general, people who are confident with themselves tend to be more successful and satisfied at work. Training for assertiveness helps individuals to develop themselves in such a way so as to be significantly impacted personally and professionally. 

Assertive individuals make great managers, as well as team members, because they treat others equally, which in turn means that those around them like working alongside them.

Training for assertiveness skills helps people focus on finding solutions by recognizing each other’s needs without compromising their own so no one feels slighted in the situation-- a win-win!

Assertiveness training even helps to reduce stress. Considering $200 - $300 billion in productivity is lost every year to stress-induced inefficiencies, absence, and burnout, training for assertiveness seems to have the potential to significantly improve your life and that of your employees.

Do you Need Assertiveness Training?

While some are lucky enough to be naturally assertive, many of us need practice and reinforcement to reach our full potential in this area. If you recognize yourself in the one of the following, you might want to consider an assertiveness training course:

• You always say "yes" to taking on new projects, even when you know you don't have time
• You often put aside your own needs in favor of others
• You feel like others are not on your side

Some Tips for How to be More Assertive at Work (and in Life)

The Mayo Clinic suggests practicing the following to begin becoming more assertive:

• Use "I" statements like "I disagree" rather than "You're wrong"
• Say "no"
• Rehearse scenarios in which you have a hard time saying what you think
• Practice confident body language like eye contact and different postures
• Control your emotions
• Start practicing assertiveness with a friend or partner rather than in the workplace
• Remain open to negative feedback

A course with an instructor who is an expert in the field can really help you to speed up your development and facilitate the process. They will help you identify your areas for improvement and give you actionable and practical feedback. You will also have the opportunity to practice your new skills in a safe environment with like-minded others who want to grow.

Navigating findcourses.com: Finding the Best Assertiveness Course for You

As you go through the list of assertiveness courses above, remember to use the filters to narrow your choices based on what you are looking for.

If you are looking for an assertiveness training course with a live teacher experience, use the Place filter to choose a city near you or the Virtual Classroom filter to find a live online class. Looking for an online course but one that best suits your schedule? Then filter by Self-Paced Online or Webinar. If you need to find a course to bring in-house to the whole team, you can filter by On-Site.

We make it easy to get in touch with the providers for the courses that you are interested in or want to enroll in. Just fill out the "request information" form and we will let them know to contact you.