Complete Idiot's Guide to Assertiveness

This book offers comprehensive information on how to speak up for yourself in a variety of circumstances. If somebody is deficient in these areas, it never hurts to learn new skills or return to the basics. My favorite chapters were the ones on being assertive at work and with your boss and with your coworkers. I also liked the ones on dealing with the government and being an assertive consumer. Those two chapters are probably the most valuable in the whole book.

I have been fearful of asserting myself at work for quite a while now, but also recognize that I have lost out in some cases because I haven't been able to effectively assert myself. With this book, I feel much more confidant. There are lots of examples including specific dialogue on what to say in certain instances. As the author maintains, asserting yourself doesn't mean a nag or being overly aggressive or being someone that others don't want to be around. Instead it means being effectively assertive which is standing up for your rights without trampling on the rights of others. Who could argue with that?

I decided to take a chance on this book and it paid off. I like it because it starts with a basic assumption - that it's harder and harder to get the attention of others because everyone else has so much competing for their attention - and builds upon that. I think the chapters are laid out in logical fashion. Some of the chapters didn't apply to me at all, so I just skipped them, but there's a lot else in the book that does apply, and so I thought it was worth while. The chapter's on increasing your confidence are extremely beneficial and the chapters on dealing with people you work with are maybe the best on the topic that I've seen. I'm glad a bought this!

This book has given me the confidence to speak up in situations where I previously not only did'nt, but never dreamed of doing so. For example, I spoke up in town meeting several weeks ago. This doesnrt sound like a big deal, but it was my first time, ever. This book offers a wide variety of suggestions on how to speak up in general, in situations where you'd want to say something, but you'd rather not. I like the examples of actual dialog that the author gives you. let's face it, if you're not actually the assertive type, it's helpful to have actually wording you can try in specific situations.

This book has given me the confidence to try some things at work that I wouldn't have otherwise. There are a couple people at work who just think that they can run roughshod over me, and I suppose I've let them do it. This book gives actual sentences and phrases you can use when somebody is confronting you. I've tried some and they seem to work. Also, I like the fact that there are special sections on assertiveness for women, and people in special situations. A lot of books on assertiveness, I think, just offer basic assertiveness principles in general but don't address the specifics of a particular reader's situation. This book focuses on assertiveness at work, with your relatives, with friends and so forth. So, you can keep using it for the different situations in your life.