Assertiveness

Hi Raj

thank you for your question - I've been thinking about a strategy for dealing with a group where we have

an assertive group / individuals
with different or counter productive behaviour / actions

First thought is it's about the group purpose.

If the group has a shared purpose then restating what we are all here to do / achieve might be useful. Establishing and getting everyone to reconnect with "Why we are here" can help by reminding the group regularly through any discussion. This could be achieved by asking "How does this support our [shared goal or purpose]?"

If the group is more temporary and not destined to work together long-term we might instead agree the purpose of this discussion first. A useful acronym is POST which stands for:

Purpose
Outcome
Structure
Timing

At the start of the discussion we might ask what is the purpose of this meeting, what outcomes are we looking for. How will we do this? (go round the group asking for ideas, brainstorm, ask for reports etc.) and set aside 25 minutes to complete the discussion.

From a facilitation perspective it can be helpful to draw the group's attention to the lack of agreement and ask the group how the agreement should be arrived at.

You might also find the following interesting. It's a meeting process called "Six Thinking Hats" created by Edward DeBono

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Six_Thinking_Hats

Let me know if you have any further questions and wishing you all the best!


Kind regards,
Andrew