There are two sides to communication and that is the speaker and the listener and the roles change alternately when effective communication is taking place. However, there are times when we are not able to say what we want to say for various reasons. This is where in addition to listening skills, you also need to be assertive at the right times.

Have you ever felt after a meeting or encounter with your loved one that you should have taken a different stance in something you both discussed. This happens when we are not able to assert ourselves strongly for fear of being embarrassed or hurting the other person. In actual fact the problem is more prevalent with men than they are with a women. Why? It’s because women in general have little fear about speaking their mind and they do so without always looking at the repercussions of what they are saying. Men on the other hand are more inclined to weigh the facts in a logical form before speaking. Of course there will be differences in both men and women in this regard.

Effective communication with assertion are keys to a good relationship - Part 2