Corporate Coach Group Logo
Corporate
Coach Group

Build Self-Confidence and Communicate with Authority

Assertiveness Skills Training 1 day

On occasions you need to be assertive to get your point across. Being assertive can come across as being bossy or aggressive if not done correctly. Therefore, it is important to learn this valuable communication skill. Assertiveness training will assist in areas such as negotiation, meetings and handling difficult people and awkward situations.

Available as bespoke in-house training tailored to your organisation.

★★★★★
"Excellent course. Gave me real practical techniques I could use straight away to feel more confident and assertive."
Quality Training
Established 1997
6 CPD Hours
Delivery Options

Course Overview

What is Assertiveness Skills Training?

Assertiveness is both an emotion and a communication style. As an emotion, it means having the right level of self-confidence. As a communication style, it means using the right words, voice tones and body language. Many people feel they lack assertiveness and want to know how to feel stronger; others are over-assertive and want to soften their approach and gain more respect.

The morning session focuses on the emotional dimension of assertiveness. You will learn how your self-concept shapes your behaviour, how negative beliefs undermine your confidence, and how to replace those beliefs with positive mental habits that build inner strength. Using the stimulus-response model, you will develop the ability to choose how you respond to challenging situations rather than reacting automatically.

The afternoon session shifts to the communication dimension. You will study the three components of communication, identify non-assertive speech patterns you may be using without realising it, and learn how to present yourself with assertive words, voice tones and body language. You will leave with a concrete action plan to implement your new skills immediately.

By the end of this course you will have a clear, practical framework for expressing yourself confidently, increasing your self-esteem and reducing anxiety, whilst still respecting the rights of others.

Core Skills

The Key Skills Covered

This course is built around six evidence-based skill sets. Together they address both the inner emotional foundation and the outward communication style that define genuine assertiveness.

  1. 1

    Positive Self-Concept and Self-Image

    Your self-concept is the set of beliefs you hold about who you are and how you compare to others. Non-assertive people hold negative beliefs that erode their confidence; assertive people hold realistic, constructive beliefs that sustain it. You will learn how to identify and restructure a self-image that actively supports assertive behaviour.

  2. 2

    Constructive Self-Talk

    The internal voice you hear in challenging situations has a direct effect on how you feel and how you behave. Negative self-talk creates hesitation, anxiety and passivity; positive, constructive self-talk generates composure and confidence. You will learn specific techniques for replacing unhelpful internal narratives with ones that empower you to act decisively.

  3. 3

    Eliminating Negative Habit Patterns

    Many unhelpful responses to difficult people or situations are habits built up over years. They feel automatic precisely because they are deeply ingrained. You will study the beliefs and thought patterns that give rise to these habits, understand why they are counterproductive, and practise the process of replacing them with more effective responses.

  4. 4

    Assertive Speech Habits

    Assertive people use specific speech patterns that convey confidence, directness and respect simultaneously. You will learn how to identify and eliminate non-assertive speech habits such as over-qualifying, apologising unnecessarily and hedging, and replace them with clear, direct language that earns the attention and respect of the people around you.

  5. 5

    Voice Tone and Delivery

    Voice tone accounts for a significant proportion of the emotional impact of your message. A confident, measured tone signals authority and composure; a hesitant or apologetic tone undermines even well-chosen words. You will develop awareness of your own vocal patterns and learn the specific adjustments that make your delivery project calm, credible assertiveness.

  6. 6

    Assertive Body Language

    Body language is the most visible dimension of assertiveness. Posture, eye contact, gestures and facial expressions all communicate confidence or its absence before you say a word. You will learn the specific elements of assertive body language, understand how non-verbal signals interact with your words and tone, and practise presenting yourself in a way that is consistently congruent and credible.

Who Is This Course For?

Who Should Attend This Assertiveness Skills Training Course?

Designed for anyone who wants to express themselves more confidently, handle difficult people more effectively or earn greater respect from colleagues, clients and managers.

Those Who Lack Confidence

Develop the inner confidence and practical skills to hold your position and speak up with authority.

Managers and Team Leaders

Handle difficult team members, set clear expectations and earn respect without resorting to aggression.

Anyone Dealing with Difficult People

Learn to respond calmly and assertively rather than feeling overwhelmed, resentful or reactive.

All Professionals

Any individual who wants to communicate with greater confidence, composure and impact in every situation.

Also highly beneficial for customer service professionals handling demanding clients, technical specialists presenting work to senior stakeholders, and anyone returning to work who wants to rebuild confidence and re-establish professional presence.

Course Agenda

Assertiveness Skills Training Course Details

AM

Morning Session • The emotional foundation of assertiveness

Explore the psychology of assertiveness, discover how your beliefs shape your emotions and behaviour, and learn practical techniques for building the positive self-image that underpins spontaneous, natural confidence.

We begin by defining assertiveness precisely: it is neither passivity nor aggression but a middle path that balances your own rights and needs with respect for those of others. You will understand the difference between the emotional and communication dimensions of assertiveness, and why developing the emotional dimension is the most important starting point. You will also carry out a brief self-assessment to identify your current assertiveness profile.
Assertiveness ultimately flows from what you believe about yourself and about the situation you are in. Beliefs generate feelings; feelings drive actions; actions produce results. If your results are not what you want, tracing the chain back to its source, your beliefs, is the most effective place to make a change. You will learn to identify the specific beliefs that cause you to feel and act less assertively than you would like, and begin the process of replacing them.
Your self-image is the mental picture you hold of yourself: your abilities, your worth and how you measure up against other people. It is the single most important belief in your entire psychological system because every other belief, every emotion and every habitual behaviour is consistent with it. Non-assertive people typically hold a self-image that undervalues themselves relative to others; over-assertive people hold an exaggerated self-image that leads to pushiness and disregard for others. You will study how to build the right, realistic and positive self-image that underpins spontaneous, natural assertiveness.
The words you say to yourself in challenging situations have a direct and immediate effect on how you feel and how you perform. Negative self-talk, such as telling yourself you will fail, that others will judge you or that you have no right to express your view, generates anxiety and passivity. Constructive self-talk produces composure and resolve. You will learn how to listen to your own inner dialogue, identify patterns that undermine you and replace them with language that builds you up. This is a practical skill that produces rapid results with consistent practice.
Many non-assertive responses are not conscious choices; they are automatic habits. Habits of avoidance, apologising, over-qualifying and deferring to others can become so ingrained that they feel like personality traits rather than learned behaviours. In this session you will study the most common negative habit patterns associated with lack of assertiveness, understand the underlying beliefs that sustain them, and begin the process of making those patterns conscious so that you can change them.
Having identified the negative patterns, you will now learn how to replace them with positive equivalents. Positive habit patterns are based on constructive beliefs, generate confident emotions and produce assertive behaviour automatically over time. You will be given specific language tools and mental exercises for cultivating these habits, with guidance on how to make them stick through consistent, deliberate practice between sessions.
Between every stimulus and every response there is a moment of choice, even when that moment feels instantaneous. Non-assertive people tend to skip the decision point and respond automatically, usually in ways they regret. Assertive people have trained themselves to pause, evaluate and choose a response that reflects their values and objectives rather than their immediate emotional reaction. You will learn and practise the stimulus-decision-response model as a practical tool for maintaining composure and assertiveness in even the most challenging real-time situations.
PM

Afternoon Session • The communication skills of assertiveness

Move from the inner dimension to the outer one: learn the specific speech habits, voice tones and body language that communicate assertiveness clearly, and leave with a concrete action plan to put your new skills into practice immediately.

All communication is composed of three elements: words, voice tone and body language. Research consistently shows that the non-verbal elements, tone and body language, carry a greater proportion of your emotional message than the words themselves. This means that even well-chosen words can be undermined by an uncertain tone or defensive posture. You will develop a full understanding of how all three components interact and how to ensure they work together to project consistent, credible assertiveness.
Non-assertive speech is characterised by a set of recognisable patterns: over-qualifying statements, adding unnecessary apologies, hedging with phrases such as 'I might be wrong, but...' or 'This is probably a silly question...' and ending declarative statements with rising intonation as though asking for permission. These habits undermine your authority and invite others to dismiss or override you. You will learn to identify these patterns in your own speech and understand exactly why they create the impression of low confidence.
Assertive speech is characterised by directness, specificity and a calm tone of conviction. You will learn the specific sentence structures, word choices and delivery patterns that communicate confidence, including how to state your position clearly, how to disagree politely but firmly, how to decline a request without excessive justification, and how to return to your key point when others attempt to redirect or dismiss you. You will practise these patterns in realistic scenarios so they begin to feel natural before you leave the course.
Voice tone communicates your emotional state more directly than almost any other element of communication. A hesitant, apologetic or rising tone signals uncertainty; a steady, measured, well-paced tone signals composure and authority. In this session you will identify the specific vocal qualities associated with assertiveness, practise adjusting your own pitch, pace, volume and intonation, and learn how to maintain a confident tone even when you are feeling anxious or under pressure internally.
Your body communicates your level of assertiveness before you say a single word. Posture, eye contact, hand gestures, facial expression and the physical space you occupy all send powerful signals to the people around you. Closed, contracted, avoidant body language invites others to dominate; open, upright, steady body language communicates confidence and invites engagement and respect. You will learn the specific elements of assertive body language and practise integrating them with your speech and tone for a coherent, consistent overall impression.
In situations where you know in advance that you will need to be assertive, thorough preparation is your most powerful advantage. Prepared people feel more confident because they have already thought through what they will say, anticipated likely challenges and decided how they will respond. You will learn a practical preparation framework that covers: clarifying your objective; choosing the right words; planning for the most likely objections; and deciding in advance what you are not willing to concede. Preparation transforms difficult conversations from anxiety-provoking encounters into structured opportunities to achieve the outcome you want.
The course closes with a structured review of all the key concepts and techniques covered during the day. Each delegate completes a personal action plan specifying the three to five changes they will implement immediately on returning to work. You will also receive details of the post-course portal, where additional resources are available, and the three months of free telephone coaching that are included with every Corporate Coach Group course.

Availability and Pricing

Delivery Options

Choose the delivery format that best fits your schedule and team.

All options deliver the same high-quality content.

Bespoke In-House

£2250 +VAT

per training day

We come to you. Training delivered at your premises, tailored to your team's specific needs.

  • Your premises or online
  • Tailored to your organisation
  • Dates to suit your schedule
  • We can train in your timezone
Proposal PDF Request Callback

All Our Training Includes

Full 1 day of expert training delivered by an experienced trainer
CPD-endorsed course: 6 CPD training hours (plus 2-3 additional hours via post-course online learning)
Full digital interactive course notes
Official training certificate
Access to free additional training material via our post-course portal
3 months of free telephone coaching while you implement your learning

Questions? Call 020 3856 3037 or 01452 856091

Frequently Asked Questions

Course FAQs

You can book directly online via our course dates page, call us on 020 3856 3037, or make an enquiry and we will call you back. We accept payment by BACS, cheque or credit card. Once booked, you will receive a confirmation email with full joining instructions.
Yes. We can deliver this course exclusively for your team at your premises or online, on dates to suit you. Bespoke in-house training is priced per day rather than per delegate, making it cost-effective for groups of four or more. We can also tailor the content to address your organisation's specific challenges.
Assertiveness is both an emotional state and a communication skill, so you need to develop both dimensions simultaneously. For the emotional dimension, work on your self-image: identify and challenge the negative beliefs that undermine your confidence and replace them with more constructive, realistic ones. Practise positive self-talk rather than habitual self-criticism. For the communication dimension, study and practise the speech patterns, voice tones and body language that others associate with assertiveness. Consistent practice across both dimensions produces lasting improvement, and this course gives you the specific techniques and tools to develop both.
The four steps are: first, develop the right self-image, which is the emotional foundation of assertive behaviour; second, monitor and improve your self-talk so that the internal voice you hear is constructive rather than critical; third, learn the speech habits, word choices and sentence structures that communicate confidence clearly; and fourth, develop congruent body language and voice tones that reinforce your assertive words rather than contradicting them. When all four elements work together, you project genuine, consistent assertiveness naturally.
Yes, the training is highly interactive. Sessions include group discussions, exercises, case studies and individual action planning. The trainer actively teaches expert content rather than simply facilitating discussion, so delegates leave with structured knowledge they can apply immediately. The style is engaging and practical throughout.
Assertiveness is difficult for most people because it requires overcoming patterns of thought and behaviour that were formed early in life and have been reinforced over many years. The most common cause is a self-concept that undervalues your own rights, opinions and contributions relative to those of other people. This produces a habitual tendency to defer, apologise or avoid conflict rather than state your position clearly. Social conditioning, previous negative experiences and a fear of rejection or disapproval all contribute to this pattern. The good news is that all of these patterns are learned, which means they can be unlearned and replaced with more helpful habits. That is precisely what this course teaches.
Delegates come from a wide range of backgrounds and industries. Many attend because they find it difficult to say no, to disagree politely or to hold their position under pressure from more dominant colleagues or clients. Others attend because they know they are perceived as aggressive rather than assertive and want to develop a more measured and effective approach. Managers handling difficult team members, customer-facing professionals dealing with demanding clients, and individuals at every level who want more confidence in their daily interactions will all find this course immediately valuable.
Open courses run from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm. Delegates are welcome to arrive from 8:45 am; tea and coffee are available from that time. The course includes mid-morning and mid-afternoon breaks plus a lunch break.

Have a question that is not answered here?

Call 020 3856 3037 Send Us a Message

On This Page

  1. 1 Course Overview
  2. 2 Key Skills
  3. 3 Who Should Attend
  4. 4 Course Agenda
  5. 5 Delivery Options
  6. 6 FAQs

Book This Course

Bespoke In-House £2250 +VAT/day
Enquire About In-House

Questions? Call us on

020 3856 3037
Trustpilot

Trusted by Leading Organisations

Companies We Have Trained

Customer Reviews

What Delegates Say About This Course

Trustpilot
Read Our Customer Reviews
★★★★★

"The course content with excellent, covering and explaining assertiveness in great depth, with well chosen practical examples. I learned a lot of techniques that can be put to use on a daily basis. The trainer's presentation was well structured. Clear instruction was given with good use of workbook and projected material. The trainer was very amenable to taking questions and interactive with audience."

John Davies

Agilent Technologies

★★★★★

"I found the course content very useful and interesting. I was able to relate to my every day work and see areas I can put into practice what I have learnt. The presentation was very comprehensive, kept you interested, and explained well. Not too fast. Very enjoyable, valuable presentation."

Claire Youlden

Badger Medical

★★★★★

"Although I was cynical prior to the course, I found the course very rewarding and informative. An interesting two days, of great value. The trainer's presentation was exceptionally good."

Tony Morris

British International Helicopter Services Limited

Related Reading

  • How to Be a Better Negotiator

    Boost your negotiation skills with clear steps on BATNA, price moves and value gains. Learn to reach win-win agreements fast and walk away smart when needed.

  • How assertive are you?

    Use assertiveness, not aggression. Get clear tips on tone, stance and words to speak up in meetings, deter bullies, handle praise and feedback, and earn respect

  • How to develop your personality

    Learn how to develop an attractive personality by building vitality, compassion, productivity, honesty and humour. Follow steps to make people like, trust you.

Ready to Build Greater Confidence and Assertiveness?

Enrol on our next open course, book a live online training session, or speak to us about tailored in-house delivery for your team.

Book Open Course Enquire about In-House

Or speak to a member of our team directly:

020 3856 3037 01452 856091