How others treat you is an indication of how you present yourself in front of others.

To build assertiveness and self-confidence, consider joining Assertiveness and Self Confidence Training Course delivered by pdtraining in Melbourne and other cities in Australia.

Assertiveness must not be confused with rudeness or stubbornness. Assertiveness is to not allow others to step upon your rights and, at the same time, not violate the rights of others. There comes in life many occasions when others try to infringe upon our rights. At such times, you must know how to assert yourself to retain your rights without being impolite, negative or bitter.

The Role of Body Language

Your body language must show that you are confident and unafraid. It will have an impact on the reputation you build for yourself. Your body language must be positive and confident at all times. Make eye contact when talking to others, practice a good posture and speak confidently.

When being assertive, do not allow negativity, if any, to show through your body language. Put forward your point calmly and provide reasons to support your argument, but do not compromise on your rights.

When asserting yourself, make sure that you do not:

• Raise your voice
• Reveal frustration, hatred, sarcasm through the tone of your voice
• Reveal negativity through facial expressions
• Crouch your shoulders or turn away your body as if to leave
• Stammer or become inaudible
• Show signs of nervousness such as touching of nose, rubbing the nape of the neck

Being confident in your body language will provide nonverbal signals to the other person(s), helping you to get across your message clearly and without contradictions.

How to Show and Be Confident

Like every other skill, you will need to practice being confident. In the beginning, you must try to feel confident and consciously reveal it through your body language and speech. With practice, it will become second nature to you.

A self-confident person has certain characteristics that you may want to develop in yourself. A confident person:

• Is not afraid of taking a stand
• Listens and then speaks
• Has reasons for his/her beliefs
• Communicates clearly and with conviction
• Handles negativity with assertiveness
• Takes charge of situations where leadership is required
• Is unafraid to ask for help
• Praises others and can laugh at himself/herself
• Is unafraid to own mistakes
• Does not seek approval at the expense of compromising his/her rights
• Makes decisions without procrastinating or doubting

Practice adopting these characteristics for a few days and you will see the difference it makes in how you feel about yourself and how others behave towards you. Building of confidence develops self-worth, which impacts our goals and our belief in achieving them. A self-confident person is able to handle tough situations successfully and find fulfillment in life. 

Developing assertiveness and self-confidence can greatly enhance a personality. It helps to change the way we think about ourselves and our capabilities. A self-confident person is respected and is able to influence others more easily than a person that lacks confidence in himself/herself. This interpersonal skill can greatly improve the quality of life precisely because it is used at all times.

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All public Assertiveness and Self Confidence Training courses include am/pm tea, lunch, printed courseware and a certificate of completion.  Customised courses are available upon request so please contact pdtraining on 1300 121 400 to learn more.