11 How to help others to be assertive

Chapter 11

How to help others to be assertive

‘Let’s build bridges, not walls.’

Martin Luther King, Jr

Whenever two or more people with different needs and expectations are together, conflicts can arise. Helping someone else to be assertive requires a combination of communication, assertiveness, counselling and mediation skills.

Below, we look at how to guide the other person assertively into more constructive action in four different situations.

Help someone to say what the problem is

Laurel works in a busy office at a secondary school. In the last few weeks she has noticed that one of her colleagues, Abi, is ‘acting funny’ towards her. Abi appears to be avoiding Laurel. When ...

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