
Dr. Phoebe Lau, Clinical Psychologist, welcomes you to Effective & Assertive Communication: Say What You Need. Dr. Lau has been working in the mental health and corporate wellbeing fields for over a decade. She understands the nuances of human behaviour and what makes communication effective. This course is evidence-based and Dr. Lau briefly describes what you will be learning during this course.
But, before you jump into learning key strategies, take some time to set your intentions for completing this course. Reflection is a key part to our learning experiences. It helps by focusing your intention and attention as you progress through the course.
In this video, you will learn the difference between a passive communication style, and an aggressive communication style, and their intention behind their communication style.
Download your pdf guide to learn more about each of these styles, and determine whether your default communication style might be passive or aggressive.
Let's learn about assertive communication, and how assertive communicators may be more effective. Download the PDF for more information and learn how assertive communicators are more effective.
When we want to change a behaviour or a thought pattern, it's important to understand how it was formed and where it came from. Use the downloadable PDF to answer questions and self-reflect the origins of your communication style.
Use the downloadable PDF to read about common communication myths and consider the reflective questions to understand your beliefs about communication.
Like learning any skill, learning to be assertive will take motivation and practise. To help you build some motivation, start off with completing the cost-benefit exercise. When your confidence wavers, go back to this list.
Then, move on to learning specific non-verbal and verbal assertive strategies. You'll learn about:
Physical stance
Basic assertion
Empathic assertion
Negative feelings assertion
Like learning any skill, learning to be assertive will take motivation and practise. To help you build some motivation, start off with completing the cost-benefit exercise. When your confidence wavers, go back to this list.
Let's take a moment to review what passive communication and aggressive communication looks like.
Non-verbal communication is just as important as what you say. Assertive communicators are able to appear firm and confident while being relaxed in their posture, tone of voice, and facial expression.
Use the downloadable PDF to guide your practice.
In this video you will see a role play example of a personal situation where Basic Assertion is used. Use the downloadable PDF for more response examples. Remember that it is important to practise after reading the examples!
Here is the same scenario as Basic Assertion but this time, we're using Empathic Assertion. In Empathic Assertion, you are acknowleding both perspectives and/or feelings.
Find more examples in the downloadable PDF.
In this video, we are demonstrating Negative Feelings Assertion. This assertive communication strategy is used when you particularly have strong feelings and would like to convey your perspective in a respectful manner. This is the most challenging out of all the assertive strategies as we often worry about how the other person might react. Remember, assertive communication is about acknowledging others' needs as well as your own, without being a push-over or trying to persuade the other person.
Find the guide to using Negative Feelings Assertion through the downloadable PDF.
Active listening is a foundation of effective communication. Do you remember a time when you felt that someone was truly listening to you? How did you feel? How did you want to respond to the other person? In this video, we explore what Active Listening is, and how to achieve it.
Fear is normal! After this lecture, you will be able to identify common challenges to using assertive communication. We go through several strategies that you can use to overcome these challenges.
So many of us have trouble asking for what we need without feeling bad or like we’re being too aggressive. It doesn’t have to be this way. You can learn the skills to become a more effective assertive communicator.
This course will help you understand where you stand on the communication continuum, how you developed your communication style, and teach you specific strategies you can use to say what you need - with confidence.
What will you learn?
After this course, you will be able to:
Understand the 3 main types of communication styles.
Identify your default communication style.
Understand how you developed your default communication style.
Practice assertive communication through 3 communication strategies.
Communicate more effectively and assertively.
This course is for you if:
You find yourself settling for things you don’t really want
You feel frustrated with not being able to communicate your needs
You’re coming up against real or perceived barriers at work
You’re experiencing tension or disappointment in personal relationships
You can commit to doing the work you need to create real and lasting change.
The course price includes access to all course content and resources including:
Digestible, bite-sized videos
A PDF workbook with self-reflection questions and practical activities
Interactive quizzes to reflect on your learnings.