Assertiveness and Other Important Interpersonal Skills in Communication - Essay Example

Skill Analysis Name Professor Institution City and State Date: Skill Analysis Interpersonal skills is how a person can be able to communicate, behave and to his/her day-to-day activities well with others. It aids day-to-day interactions and communications with others. It can be verbal or non-verbal depending on the situation. Interpersonal skills are greatly affected by previous events and the projected future results. These skills are very important in communication, especially in the workplace, and when trying to work in groups. Effective ISC skills help to feel better physically, emotionally and psychologically. It improves on the interaction of people with each other and brings closeness, understanding and a sense of belonging as a person. There are different principles of interpersonal communication these are; they are “un avoidable, irreversible, symbolic, rule-governed, learned and has both content and relationship levels” (Richard and Turner, 2010 pp. 23-26). Assertiveness as an ISC skill is an important skill of communications. It aids a lot in the effectiveness of interpersonal skills in the workplace. This is a way in which one brings out a point clearly and up to the point. This makes certain that the memo is conveyed to the person in which the message is intended for alone and in an effective manner. When one is assertive, the message being delivered is well laid, and with all the details required for one to interpret the message and be able to have feedback on the same. Being assertive also ensure that one is lucid on what he or she wants and is not intimidated by anything or anyone. When one is dealing with a co-worker, one should be clear and not demand things to be done. This is a perfect skill for a manager to work well with his peers, and have clear boundaries on how work should be done, and how to express their needs to their boss. This also applies for class discussions, and should be implemented by group leaders to enable team members present their parts in a professional and timely way. If one is able to express oneself effectively, then one can accomplish the job better than the other. There are five key types of assertive behaviors; these are basic assertion, empathic assertion, escalating assertion, confrontive assertion and metalevel assertion. Basic assertion is simple skills in communication in which someone stands up for his/her rights. This are words like excuse me, when one is interrupting the other person, when one is too busy to let go of what he or she is doing. It is expressing ones feelings and opinions over a certain issue (Owen, 2003, p. 328). Empathic assertion is a sense of remorse or sensitivity toward the other person. This is when one uses a statement of recognition of the other person feeling before making an assertive statement. This is words like, “I am sorry, but one has to do this work and I hope you will take it lightly”. This makes the other person feel cared for and will take the comment positively. Escalating Assertion is a skill in which one starts with a minimal assertive response and increases the degree of assertiveness gradually to put the point across clearly. For example, “No, I have decided that I do not wish to purchase any of these products’’, No, I have already said, I am not buying any of them” (Owen, 2003, p. 327). This escalation is to reduce the bully and harassment from other persons, and this may even lead to legal action. Confrontive assertion is used to remind someone of the action he or she was supposed to have taken. This is because the person would have gone contrary to what was agreed upon. In this case, the person will speak with a firm voice, for example, “You were to finish the report by Monday mid-day and it is now 5.00 p.m., what do you have to say about that?” (Owen, 2003, p. 328). The last form of assertiveness is metalevel assertive, this is a method in which one widens the perspective rather than sticking to a specific issue. For example, “We obviously are not going to agree about this, and I think this is a typical of what is happening to our whole working relationships” (Owen, 2003, p. 329). Assertiveness closely relates to the other interpersonal skills. In the case of effective communication, one cannot be assertive without listening to the other party and being able to comprehend what one is saying. In effective communication, paying attention to what one is saying is imperative, and asks questions for better clarification. This is also important for a person using the assertive skills (Sommers, 2008: 7). Another interpersonal skill is anger management, it is important to appreciate that, at one point or the other, each, and every person can get angry, but the most important facet is being able to contract with the cause of the problem. One should not direct his/her anger to a specific person in the work place as this might cause intimidation and bad work relations in the workplace. One should know how to deal with anger and learn some anger management skills to aid his/her communication, this is also important when one needs to be assertive. Assertiveness require one not be angry but firm in his words. Conflict resolution goes hand in hand with anger management in interpersonal skill. One should be able to solve the conflict without one feeling like he/she is being suppressed and taken advantage. In conflict resolution, one should measure and check depth what could have been the cause of conflict; this will lead to a positive result thus solving the problem allowing the coworkers work together as a family. Assertiveness is also related to conflict resolution because one needs to be able to understand the problems others are facing. Teamwork is also very important especially when working towards achieving a common target. It means one is able to pool resources with other people and exchange ideas and achieve a common goal. An assertive person should be seen to be a member of a team, and be able to comprehend that each team member is important and has equal rights in making a decision concerning the team. In Team work, the team This is important than an individual and its decisions is affirmative and not the boss`s decision. It is also similar to similar to conflict resolution as a team has the ability to solve problems and achieve target effectively. Being a member of the team can help one progress to higher levels of management (Sommers, 2008: 27). Assertive will greatly affect the assignment (MGT3ISC) on self awareness. Being able to understand one self; strength, weakness, preferences and how those affect ones judgments, decisions and interactions with others. For one to be assertive, one should consider the means ob obtaining self awareness, it has several options, and one should analyze his /herself well, check her personality, behavior, attitude and perspective. One should also consider the self disclosure, diverse experiences and perceptions feedback. After acquiring self awareness, individuals will be able to be more assertive than when one has not reached the self awareness stage. In the assignment, we talk about conflict management styles, these are avoidance, accommodation, competition, compromising and collaboration. In assertiveness, one should be able to withdraw from a conflict and sometimes try to please the other party for one to attain the required results. Being assertive is also being able to attempt to satisfy your own or single interest and also ensuring that each side gives up something in return. Collaboration is having a win-win situation, like when a report is required at a certain time, both parties agree, and the report is handed in on time. Assertiveness as a skill is very relevant in communication, and his results are more positively. The results of the outcome are more win-win situation, and are a better problem solver because they feel empowered and thus find themselves with the best solution. These kinds of people are less stressed because their plans are not tempered with and they do not feel threatened. They are seen as doers, and they get things done because they are aware of what they are doing. In order to develop assertiveness, one should value oneself and rights well, identify needs and wants to be satisfied, one should acknowledge that people are in charge for their own behavior, and also be able to express negative thoughts and feelings in a positive manner. Accepting criticism and compliments from other parties is also an important aspect of being assertive. To be assertive one should know when to say No, and gradually escalate the message for it to be understood clearly. In conclusion, I believe that assertiveness is an important skill in communication, and it brings out the balancing between aggressiveness and assertive. It also means that you have a strong sense of yourself and believe that, what you get is what you truly deserve. Assertiveness is knowing your wants and needs, and being able to appreciate one self. It also improves on the productivity efficiency and being able to deal with very difficult situations. References Richard, W., & Turner, L. H. 2010. Understanding interpersonal communication: Making choices in changing times (2nd ed.). New York: Cengage Learning, Sommers, M. A. 2008. Great interpersonal skills. The Rosen Publishing Group, Wolfgang, J. G. 2009. Promoting and Managing Positive Pupil Behavior. BELB Induction/EPD Team. Read More