Building Confidence Through Assertion

About a third of people rated as “high potential” at work have one thing in common: they’ve had assertiveness coaching. You’re in a meeting, your idea’s on the tip of your tongue, and then someone else speaks first. This episode shows how that exact moment can quietly reshape your confidence.

Only 7 % of your impact in a tough conversation comes from the literal words you choose. The rest is in how you sit, where your eyes go, and whether your voice lands as a question or a decision. That means you can “say” no while your shoulders, volume, and pacing are loudly saying “maybe.”

This is where deliberate practice matters. In one study, an eight-week assertiveness training raised speaking‑up rates in meetings by 28 %. Why? Not because people suddenly discovered perfect phrases, but because they rehearsed specific behaviors—eye contact for 3 seconds, one clear request per sentence, no apologizing for existing.