There are some difficult conversations you simply can’t shy away from—no matter how good you are at avoiding confrontation. You may be a people pleaser, but what happens when you need to approach a roommate who’s been leaving the door unlocked; address a parent or relative who’s overstepped, or give less-than-sparkling feedback to a colleague at work?

If someone in your life is causing you emotional, physical, or ethical distress, at some point you’re going to need to gather the courage to speak up. There’s a way to approach confrontation in a healthy and constructive way without coming across as weak and wishy-washy, or tipping over into overt aggression.

Luckily, the tendency to avoid confrontations isn’t a personality trait or genetic curse. With the right habits and mindset shifts, you can train yourself to handle confrontations effectively and with confidence.

Benefits

• Learn how to be assertive
• Opportunity to verbalize needs.
• Teaches flexibility.
• Teaches us to listen.
• Teaches us patterns of behaviour
• Leads to solutions.
• Practice communication skills.
• Helps us to set limits.