1. To practice integrating verbal, nonverbal, and cognitive assertion skills.
2. To simulate a real-life assertion situation and increase the ability to respond assertively in that situation.

Group Size
No more than thirty participants.

Time Required
One to one and one-half hours.

Materials

1. A copy of the behavioural Rehearsal Questionnaire and a pencil for each participant.
2. Newsprint, felt-tipped markers, and masking tape for the facilitator.

Process

1. The facilitator announces the goals of the activity and asks for a volunteer who has a particular ongoing assertion situation that he or she is interested in working in the group.
2. The facilitator asks the volunteer to briefly describes the situation, including the people involved, the physical setting, the specific interactions that take place, and the assertive response he or she wishes to make.
3. The facilitator tells the volunteer to choose participants to play the role to the various people involved in the situation and to role play a small section (one to three minutes) of interchange involved in the situation with the other participants. If the volunteer does not feel comfortable practicing the desired assertive response he or she can simply role play his or her normal behaviour (normal behaviour) in the situation and have a volunteer or the trainer model an assertive response in the situation before attempting it.
4. If, after this segment, the volunteer feels that another participant is not playing his or her role as the real character would play it, he or she is directed to either coach the participant briefly or reverse roles with that person for a short time. If there are several possible reactions on the part of the characters involved in the situation to assertion on the part of the volunteer, the most desirable outcome is role played first.
5. The role-play segment is repeated and the facilitator asks participants and the volunteer to described those behaviours which seemed assertive on the part of the volunteer. The facilitator asks the volunteer what behaviours he or she would still like to practice in the situation segment. The facilitator gives the volunteer a copy of the Behavioural Rehearsal Questionnaire and directs him or her to use it as a thinking about possible changes.
6. The role-play segment is repeated. When the volunteer seems confident in this segment of the interchange, a larger segment of the situation may be practiced, following Step V guidelines.
7. The facilitator divides participants into groups of three, four or five and distributes copies of the Behaviour Rehearsal Questionnaire and a pencil to each participant.
8. The facilitator explains that assertive situations participants have troubles with in their lives will be practiced in the small groups. Each participant will have twenty minutes to practice his or her situation. The facilitator posts the sequence of the activity as follows :

1. Volunteer chooses partner to direct the role play.
2. Volunteer describes situation and choose people to act out the roles involved.
3. Volunteer role play small section of situation with participants.
4. Partner stops the role play and checks with volunteer to see if participants are being realistic in their roles; if they are not the volunteer gives more background or a short role reversal is practiced.
5. Partner asks for positive assertive behaviours observed by participants and by the volunteer him or herself.
6. Partner caucuses with volunteer on Behaviour Rehearsal Questionnaire to decide what areas need more work or whether to go to the next section.

9. Before the groups begin, the facilitator emphasizes that the idea is to have a series of successful assertive experiences and that group members are to describe positive behaviours they observe in the volunteer and give positive feedback or suggestions.
10. At the end of each twenty minutes, a new volunteer practices his or her situation, using Steps A through F.
11. The facilitator asks for reactions and questions from the participants regarding the rehearsals that have been completed and leads a discussion of what has been learned, with an emphasis on backhome applications.

Variations

1. In Step V the facilitator may also ask for suggestions from the participants on behaviours the volunteer may want to practice in the situation.
2. If necessary and appropriate, the facilitator may model assertive behaviour on the part of the volunteers in Step V or may direct a participant.
3. The facilitator may give the participant different coloured token to display during the role play as feedback to the volunteer on their behaviour. Participants are instructed to show one colour token when they feel that the volunteer is being assertive, a second colour when they feel the volunteer is being assertive, a second colour when they feel that the volunteer is being nonassertive, and a third colour when they feel the volunteer is being aggressive. At appropriate intervals, the facilitator may instruct participants to discuss why they are displaying a certain colour token.
4. Index cards describing various assertion situations can be used. Each volunteer draws one of the cards and role plays that situation, or a situations is read from a card and participants take turns volunteering to play roles described. Volunteers may also choose situations they would like to practice from the stack of cards.

BEHAVIOURAL REHEARSAL QUESTIONNAIRE

1. Did you feel confident and good about the assertion you displayed ?
2. Did you stand up for your own rights without violating the rights of others?

1. What rights were you standing up for in the situation ?
2. On a scale of 0-10, 10 being very confident, 0 being not confident, how much confidence did you feel in owning your rights in the situation.

3. Did you say and do what you wanted to say and do ?

1. Did you speak directly, objectively, and nonapologetically, stating what you wanted ?
2. Were your voice and body calm and firm ?

4. Did you aware of positive things as you were being assertive ?
5. Were you aware of the consequences to yourself and to the other person of being assertive in the situation ? Were you willing to face and or act on those consequences ?
6. What steps will you now take regarding this situation ?

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