Assertive communication has the best chance of making things better

Sure..yes..it’s difficult to articulate “I” statements in the heat of an argument, but if you can just pause and breathe, you’ll remind yourself that you don’t need to figure everything out that very moment.

You can just take things one step at a time, making “I” statements about what you know.

“I have no idea what led up to that incident, but I’m really upset about what happened…”

“Maybe I’m missing something, but here’s what this looks like to me…”

“You might be right about ______, but I need a way to have input into the plans for this event.”

Passive communication generally doesn’t work during a disagreement, as it often fails to get your message across.

Aggressive communication doesn’t either because it causes fear and anger, interfering with problem-solving.

Assertive communication has the best chance of making things better.

Adapted from “Using Assertive Language,” By. Dr. Jeremy Shapiro.