Believe me when I tell you the more you practice assertive communication, the easier it gets. You see the results of your assertiveness: people actually do what you tell them to do, you gain self-awareness and self-esteem, and your relationships deepen with your increased honesty. Continue
Understand that being assertive means finding the middle ground between passive and aggressive. Assertiveness is getting your needs met while being respectful of the needs of others. If more people adopted an assertive style of communication, we would all feel more respected, more heard, and definitely more understood. Continue
Esteem for Boys teaches boys what to do if physically attacked and how to physically defend themselves, but it also helps boys think about the ego-based nature of fighting among young men. Continue
We may not be able to immediately change the direction of mass media, but each of us is absolutely the only person responsible for what comes out of our mouths. So let’s all start there. Continue
This concern is not limited to teenage girls: I’ve had similar conversations with adult women ranging in age from their thirties to their seventies. We think we’d like a compliment, but then we are left feeling confused about what to do with one when we get it. Continue
Our words are powerful. What we say and what we don’t say have an impact on not just others, but ourselves. Continue
The law stipulates that a person must communicate an “unambiguous yes” to sex and further states that someone cannot give consent if they are drunk or unconscious. This should be obvious, but we know from looking at the statistics that it is not, and there are plenty of assaults against women that occur under these circumstances. Continue
Put your new listening skills into action this week on Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, or any other celebration you partake in. Continue
Given that we devote so much time to listening, we would be well advised to do it better: we need to understand the process and improve our skills so that we can become more effective in our work and personal relationships. Continue
Studies show that many of us spend 70 to 80 percent of our waking hours engaged in some form of communication. Breaking it down further: we spend about 9 percent writing, 16 percent reading, 30 percent speaking and 45 percent listening. Studies also find that most of us are quite lacking in our listening skills. Why are so many of us so bad at listening when we do so much of it? Continue