Assertive Attitude

The fourth communications attitude, known as ‘Assertive,’ is the one you and others in the exchange need to adopt in order to communicate successfully. This attitude creates an environment of honest and open communications where people are able to express their beliefs and views. This attitude encourages people to feel comfortable expressing themselves because they know that opinions will be listened to and respected whether or not they are agreed with.

In your management role you should always display an assertive attitude. This relies on your emotional intelligence, which can be defined as your ability to control and manage your own emotions and to understand those of others. Your ability to identify and respond appropriately to other people’s emotions is relected in your capacity to build rapport, empathy, and relationships. Those who have excellent interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence tend to be more successful and productive.

The first step you can take to achieve this is to have a clear understanding of how your own emotions inluence and impact your effectiveness in communicating. Your aim is to ensure that your emotions inform your communications rather than hijack or sabotage them.