ASSERTIVE COMMUNICATION

Human beings are social beings, we do not live alone… so communication between us becomes
necessary.  But what kind of communication?  Well, depending on the style of communication we
use, this will be the kind of relationship we cultivate.
Let’s start by defining communication, a well-known concept, but difficult to implement effectively.

Communication

ACTION OF COMMUNICATING WITH PEERS THAT ALLOWS US TO
KNOW, OBTAIN INFORMATION, EXPRESS OURSELVES AND LINKS
US THROUGH FORMAL MEANS (ORAL OR WRITTEN) COMBINED

WITH BODILY GESTURES.

To communicate effectively and assertively it is necessary to be specific, clear, and transparent. 
When expressing our feelings, which in the end is what we communicate, we cannot leave it to the
free interpretation of others, it is necessary to express in our communication the intention behind
our expression of ideas, behind our effective and assertive communication.
The word Assertiveness cannot be found in the dictionary, only “assertive” which means
“affirmative” and comes from “assertion,” derived from the Latin “assertus,” which is the
“affirmation of the certainty of something.” Assertiveness is a social skill that allows the person to
affirm his being in the world andcommunicate his point of view by placing himself in the balance
between two opposing points: an aggressive style and a passive style of communication.
So we will have effective organizations when their members, especially their executives,
communicate effectively and assertively, without double intentions, without carrying double agendas,
without power struggles, without hidden agreements and when their executives manage to be
authentic, understanding authenticity as the “public expression capacity of their self-
esteem,”focusing their eyes in the same direction and towards a common goal: the organization.
We increasingly have more trained professionals, but often they have fail to cultivate a healthy ego
that inspires trust among their peers.  When someone shows congruence between what they think
and how they feel; between what he says and what he does, leads to credibility in his person and
generates collaboration in the team.
It is necessary to assume conditions that contribute to genuine collaboration:

• Freedom in the choice of one’s own acts.
• Shared responsibility, where the sum of all is greater than individuality.
• Respect, treating the other the way I want to be treated.
• Empathy to be able to understand the emotions of others and from there understand their
  behaviors.
• Acceptance of diversity and openness to the inclusion of those who think differently.
• Valuation of peace, dialogue, negotiation, and tolerance in non-violent conflict resolution.
• Transparency and clarity by giving people the right to information, from which they can
  make the best decisions for themselves and for the organization.
• Awareness of temporality of positions of power.
• Through clarity in our intentions, we can establish assertive communication that leads us to build an
  effective organization.