ABSTRACT
There are a number of well-tried things that can really help towards becoming more assertive and gaining greater self-esteem and feeling better about oneself. Many unconscious body positions and movements give off a passive signal; others may adopt, as a form of compensation, more aggressive body attitudes. There are also assertive body positions and abrupt or assertive movements. These forms of non-verbal behaviour include eye contact, facial expressions, speech patterns, body posture, and the use of one's voice. This chapter provides some basic assertiveness skills. They are: being specific, repetition, self-disclosure, negative inquiry, negative assertion, workable compromise, and so on. These can really help one to come over as being more assertive, more confident and with a reasonable self-esteem. The chapter then discusses some ideas, concepts, and exercises to help people to establish what works uniquely for them and what might not.
