Speak your mind: Learn how to become more assertive

There are many advantages to becoming more assertive. It not only empowers you to become a stronger and more confident communicator, but it also helps to improve your decision-making skills. It encourages you to make decisions without second-guessing yourself. Assertiveness is therefore a key skill that can help you to better manage yourself, people and situations.

During this workshop, given by Rosanne Ceuppens, you will learn how to extend your toolkit for assertive behaviour and how to communicate in an efficient way. The focus will be on increasing insight and awareness, as well as on providing concrete tools which will be practiced during the sessions and in-between.

The workshop consists of two training days and an optional online reflection session.

• During the two training days we will first discuss what assertiveness entails and why it is a relevant skill. Consequently, we will explore some strategies that you can use to become more assertive to further both your confidence and interpersonal relationships. The aim of the reflective and interactive exercises is to gain insight into your own behavior and to become conscious of certain patterns and thoughts. It's a hands-on workshop with room for exercises so you can try out tools and experience several assertive communication techniques. 
  
  
• An optional online reflection session takes place on January 16, 2025. During this 20-min online session, we'll take a look at the steps that you've taken to improve your assertive communication style, and we will discuss possible challenges that you might still face. There will also be room for any remaining questions. This reflection session is preceded by a preparatory exercise of max. 30 min.

Preparation

You will receive a preparatory, reflective exercise one week before the start of the course. This should last approx. 20 minutes.

Learning outcomes 

After this workshop, you will be able to:

• distinguish between several communication styles (such as sub-assertive, assertive and aggressive communication),
• use active listening techniques,
• evaluate situations in a more objective manner and become aware of how your interpretations and thoughts may influence your reaction,
• use assertive communication techniques.

Competences

An important part of preparing for any further professional step is becoming (more) aware of the competences you have developed and/or want to develop. In the current workshop, the following competences from the UHasselt competency overview are actively dealt with:

Intellectual competences:

• Personal effectiveness:
  • self-development
  • initiative
  • autonomy
• Task-orientedness
  • Result-orientedness

For whom?

• PhD students & postdocs -  12 places available

When & where?

• December 9 and December 16, 09:30-16:30 (participation on both days is required)
• Campus Hasselt, Groene Zaal
• Optional individual online reflection session on January 16, 2025 (timeslots to choose from between 10:00-16:30 via the registration link)

Registration?

• Registration is closed.
• As places are limited, registering does not automatically imply that you will be able to participate. You will be notified by email after the registration deadline has passed.
• Please cancel your registration at least one week in advance in case you cannot make it (cf. cancellation & no-show policy).

Acknowledged as?

• DS BSH: category 'career management & personal development' - workshop aimed at personal development, OR category 'research management & communication skills' - workshop on general communication skills
• DS HLS: category 'transferable skills' - one compulsory elective course
• DS ST: category 'career & personal development' - course about personal development, OR category 'scientific & generic communication' - course about generic communication