{"id":3784,"date":"2019-02-22T09:40:19","date_gmt":"2019-02-22T09:40:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/?p=3784"},"modified":"2026-01-29T00:02:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-29T00:02:41","slug":"how-to-be-assertive-not-annoying-at-work","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/how-to-be-assertive-not-annoying-at-work\/","title":{"rendered":"How to be Assertive (not annoying!) at work"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>There are many different personalities in the workplace, but assertive communication can be incredibly helpful during tough situations that are time-critical or involve important decision making. Sadly, the border between being assertive and annoying is thin, and it\u2019s very easy to overstep your boundaries.<\/p>\n<p>Try following this advice on how to become an assertive communicator, without stepping into the realm of annoying.<\/p>\n<h3>Understanding passive, aggressive and assertive<\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s important to understand these three conversational approaches so that you can tailor your communication skills to fit the assertive profile, without becoming too passive or aggressive.<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Passive<\/strong> \u2013 this approach means that you\u2019re always waiting for someone else to make a suggestion or speak first. This is often known as the path of least resistance. This is the opposite of what it means to be assertive.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Aggressive<\/strong> \u2013 this approach indicates a very rough approach to conversations. Aggressive individuals can often be confused with assertive people, but there are some distinct differences that need to be explained. An aggressive person will always disagree with others because they believe that their ideas are the best. They don\u2019t take no for an answer and always fight their corner.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Assertive<\/strong> \u2013 this approach actually mixes the good points of both passive and aggressive conversation. Assertive people will listen to ideas and are flexible, but they\u2019ll also make suggestions after listening to get a better overarching conclusion.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>This summarises the differences between each approach, and the type of approach you should take if you want to communicate more assertively and confidently in the workplace.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_3787\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-3787\" style=\"width: 525px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-large wp-image-3787\" src=\"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Assertive-Listening-1024x682.jpg\" alt=\"Listening is important for assertive communication\" width=\"525\" height=\"350\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Assertive-Listening-1024x682.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Assertive-Listening-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Assertive-Listening-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 525px) 100vw, 525px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-3787\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><a href=\"\/syl\/84\/building-confidence-and-assertiveness-at-work-1.html\">Assertiveness training for women<\/a> and men<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Next, try following the five techniques below to help you be more assertive at work without being annoying:<\/p>\n<h3>1) Don\u2019t talk about things you know nothing about<\/h3>\n<p>Being assertive doesn\u2019t mean showing off your ego or knowledge. That\u2019s something aggressive conversationalists do, and it\u2019s not a productive way to engage in discussions. If you want to be assertive and speak up about a topic, make sure you are knowledgeable about the topic or you\u2019ll quickly lose credibility with your co-workers.<\/p>\n<h3>2) Accept that you won\u2019t always be right<\/h3>\n<p>Aggressive types don\u2019t like it when they\u2019re proved wrong and will always argue their corner. Assertive types know that \u201cbeing right\u201d has nothing to do with being assertive. It\u2019s all about offering your educated opinion on a subject and listening when someone more knowledgeable starts to talk.<\/p>\n<h3>3) Never let your ego get in the way of a conversation<\/h3>\n<p>Assertive people know how to suppress their ego, so their emotions don\u2019t get in the way of conversations that require rational and logical thinking. By letting your ego take over, you compromise important discussions and decision-making. If you want to be more assertive, you need to learn to think logically and avoid letting your ego get in the way.<\/p>\n<h3>4)\u00a0Always listen to people before adding your opinion<\/h3>\n<p>Listening is just as important as speaking, even if you want to be assertive. Make sure you always let others speak if they have something to say and pay attention to their input so that you can take it on board.<\/p>\n<h3>5) Pick your words carefully<\/h3>\n<p>Having an aggressive attitude often means that you act before you think, but this is detrimental if you want to maintain an assertive attitude. Make sure you pick your words carefully so that you don\u2019t seem too bossy or out of place.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>For insights <a href=\"\/professional-skills.php\">backed by professional soft skills training providers<\/a>, take a look at the training options available at STL.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>There are many different personalities in the workplace, but assertive communication can be incredibly helpful during tough situations that are time-critical or involve important decision making. Sadly, the border between being assertive and annoying is thin, and it\u2019s very easy to overstep your boundaries. Try following this advice on how to become an assertive communicator, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"singular-low-link.php","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[633],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3784","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-professional-development"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3784","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3784"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3784\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7880,"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3784\/revisions\/7880"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3784"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3784"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.stl-training.co.uk\/b\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3784"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}