I. Initiation, approach or request situations with strangers, passing acquaintances, or work relations.

______ A. Eye Contact

You are beginning to talk with someone of the opposite sex whom you do not know very well. You are standing at a comfortable distance from the other person, and you are looking directly at the person’s eye as you begin to talk. Visualize that scene. Now visualize the same scene again, but this time visualize yourself smiling, if you did not do so before, or visualize yourself keeping a straight face if you were smiling in the first scene.

_______B. Self-Praise

Think of four positive qualities you have. Now visualize yourself describing these qualities to someone you are just meeting for the first time.

_______C . Introducing Yourself

You are in a group meeting where most people do not know one another. You are sitting in your chair and the leader of the group asks each of you to tell the others what you do for a living and to describe some of your hobbies. Visualize that scene.
Now visualize that you are asked to do the same thing, but this time you are asked to stand and come to the front of the room before making your introduction. As you visualize this scene, imagine that that the person one seat away from you is walking toward the front of the room and that it will soon be your turn. The imagine that this person finishes with his introduction and it is now your turn to stand up, go to the front of the room, and address the audience.

_______D. Conversations

You are a party and there are several people present whom you have never met before. You notice one person to whom you are attracted, and you decide you would like to get to know this person better. You walk over to the individual, introduce yourself, and begin talking. Visualise yourself in this situation and picture what happens.
Decide if you knew how to start the conversation and reflect on how anxious you were in visualising the scene.
Now visualise that the person you are interested in meeting is standing and talking with a small group of people. Your task is now to visualise yourself walking over to this group and becoming a part of the conversation so that you can get to know the person better.
Now imagine that you are talking with someone at this party when you notice an old friend come in whom you have not seen for a long time. You want to terminate your present conversation and go over and see your old friend. Imagine yourself terminating the conversation and going to meet your friend.

II. Initiation, approach or request situations with friends or persons close to you.

_______E. Compliments (Part I)

Visualise yourself complimenting a friend. The compliment can be on the way the friends is dressed or some other nice thing you have observed him/her doing.

_______F. The Neighbour (Part I)

You are doing some work around house and you realize that you are missing a tool to complete your job. You do not want to buy it at a store right now, and you remember that your neighbour has that tool. Visualise that you are now at your neighbour’s house asking for the temporary loan of the tool.

_______G. The Neighbour (Part II)

Now assume that you are the neighbour who loaned the requested tool. However, several weeks have gone by, and you now need the tool yourself. You go next door and ask that the tool be returned. Visualised that scene.

_______H. The Nonverbal "Warm Fuzzy"

Imagine yourself sitting next to a friend toward whom you feel very positive. Without using any words, convey a warm positive feeling to this individual.

III. Response, acceptance, or refusal situations with strangers, passing acquaintances, or work relations.

_______I. In the Restaurant

You are in an expensive restaurant and have ordered a meal cooked the way you like it best. However, when the meal is brought to your table, it is not cooked the way you ordered it. You therefore, refuse the meal and state that you would like to have it cooked the way you originally asked.
Did you know how to assertively refuse the improperly prepared meal and remind the waiter/waitress of your original order? Is your anxiety very high at this point?

_______J. Salesperson

Picture yourself answering your front door one evening and being confronted by a rather pushy salesperson who is trying to sell you a product. Although this is a product that you have purchased in the past (e.g. magazines, cookies, insurance), you do not have the interest or money to buy this product now. Assume that you cannot just shut the door - instead you must communicate to the person by what you say and how say it that you are not interested.

_______K. Refusing to Donate

While you are at work one afternoon, a secretary from one of the other offices whom you do not know very well approaches you. The secretary tells you that one of you co-workers has just had a baby. The secretary is taking up a collection of Rs. 20 from each person in order to buy a nice gift for the new mother and baby. Your working interactions with the new mother have been very unpleasant over the past year. Reflecting on this for a moment, you feel that you do not wish to contribute to this collection fund, even though you can well afford the Rs. 20. Your task is to politely refuse the request of the secretary who is standing before you and knows nothing about your previous interactions and feelings concerning the new mother.

_______L. Anger

You are busy at work when an employee from another department comes in, screams at you in a very angry voice, and calls you names such as "stupid" and "incompetent." The person accuses you of making an error that proved to be very costly and embarrassing to him/her. At this point, you are not even certain if you made the error, but it is extremely difficult to tell just what happened as long as the person is screaming and carrying on in this manner. Visualise how you would handle this situation, what you would do and say to the other person, and your anxiety level.

IV. Response, acceptance, or refusal situations with friends or persons close to you.

_______M. Compliments (Part II)

Imagine that a friends is complimenting you. How do you respond to this praise?

_______N. Confidential Information

You have been talking with someone who has given you some confidential information about Pal, a friend of yours with whom you work. Before this information was given, you agreed to keep the information confidential until the person could personally talk with Pal and discuss the manner. It is now the next day and Pal approaches you. Pal knows that you have discussed the situation with the other person and wants to know what was said. Your task is to try to keep this information confidential, as you have agreed to do. pal is making statements such as "If I am really your friend, you will tell me what was said, "I have told you information like this before under similar circumstances," and "You really are against me, too." Visualise how you would handle this situation.

_______O. Criticism

Picture yourself being confronted by a friend or relative who seems to enjoy criticising people - especially you. you have concluded that this particular individual is not really trying to help you, but, instead engages in this activity to obtain a one-up position. You have told this individual before that you do not appreciate this behaviour and that you would like it stopped. However, the person is now at it again. Visualise the situation. Did you know how to verbally stop the criticism? Was your anxiety very high?

_______P. The Party

There is a party tonight that you would like to attend, but you know that you cannot because you have work you must do at home. Your friends call and tell you the party will be no fun without you. Your task is to refuse the invitation. Visualise how you would handle the situation.

ASSERTION VIGNETTES MATRIX RESPONSE SHEET
Directions : Count the number of items marked high (H), medium (M), or low (L) within Sections I, II, III and IV of the Assertion Vignettes Matrix Form and enter the totals in the appropriate blanks below. Those sections in which the greatest number of high or medium scores appear indicate the areas in which it is probably especially difficult for you to be assertive.

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