Assertiveness: Use these sample phrases to craft meaningful performance evaluations, drive change and motivate your workforce.
Assertiveness is the inclination to stand up for your rights or other people's rights in a calm and concrete way without being aggressive or accepting a wrong.
Assertiveness: Exceeds Expectations Phrases
- Identifies self needs and wants, and asks for them to be satisfied
- Understands that self rights, feelings, thoughts, and needs are just as important as everyone else's and feels free to express them
- Expresses negative thoughts, feelings, and emotions in a healthy and positive manner
- Receives feedback positively and is always ready to disagree without getting defensive or angry
- Learns to say "no" when there is need to do so, and goes with what is right
- Uses assertive body posture as part of strengthening self position when delivering a point home
- Decides on wording; thinks through not only about what to say, but how to say it
- Asks questions in order to understand all that is required to complete a certain project or task
- Regularly expresses appreciation of others for what they have done or are doing
- Refrains from criticizing and judging others' ideas in a way that shows insensitivity
Assertiveness: Meets Expectations Phrases
- Finds ways to get self needs met without sacrificing others' needs in the process
- Allows oneself to be angry but still remains respectful to colleagues and clients
- Says what's on one self's mind, but does it in a way that protects the other person's feelings
- Allows oneself to make mistakes, asks for help and accepts criticism and compliments positively
- Shows appreciation of other people's contribution by using verbal and nonverbal communication skills such as nodding, maintaining good eye contact and smiling
- Shows interest in what someone else has to say through appropriate questioning, clarification, reflecting and summarizing skills
- Always clear and direct to the point when answering a question; never leaves a questioner with a half-baked answer
- Listens when critics get their points out in order to get more prepared for an open exchange
- Delivers criticism in a way that demonstrates sensitivity to the feelings of other colleagues
- Holds back, listens and waits for the other person to finish an intended message before giving a response
Assertiveness: Needs Improvement Phrases
- Feels uncomfortable when telling a colleague or friend that they are doing something wrong
- Does not feel free to express wishes, thoughts, and feelings and to encourage others to do likewise
- Finds it hard to initiate and maintain comfortable relationships with colleagues at work
- Does not have control over anger or the ability to talk about it in a reasonable manner
- Rarely shows a willingness to compromise with others. Always want things done self's way
- Discourages other employees from openly voicing their views, ideas, and feelings
- Whines or shies away from asking people's opinion and drawing them into open group discussions
- Lacks good listening skills. Responds quickly without listening carefully to what the other person has to say, thus missing important details
- Always takes responsibility for decisions that should be made jointly instead of supporting others to make their contribution to the discussion
- Focuses on the disagreements, rather than trying to find areas of agreement with the other person
Assertiveness: Self Evaluation Questions
- Can you think of a situation where you felt you had not communicated well? How did you correct the situation?
- Is there a time you had to effectively "read" another person in order to guide your actions based on your understanding of their individual needs?
- Can you describe a situation where you were able to strengthen a relation with a colleague by using effective communication?
- Is there a time you had to speak up in order to be sure that other people knew what felt or thought?
- Have you ever used verbal communication to get a point across that was important to you?
- How good are your listening skills? Do you have instances when you made mistakes because you did not listen well to what someone had to say?
- How often do you encourage your colleagues to get into groups in order to make decisions that should be made jointly?
- If a colleague was facing a clash of personalities, what steps would you take to make the working relationship run smoothly?
- Have you ever been in a situation where you were motivated to question your employer's decision?
- Can you think of an occasion when you have had to motivate and boost the morale of your colleagues?