Effective Communication: Mastering Assertiveness Skills

There’s a key difference between being aggressive and being assertive. Aggression often involves pushing others down to make yourself heard, while assertiveness is about expressing your needs, feelings, and boundaries with confidence and respect—without diminishing others. The way society perceives this difference can be influenced by your race and gender. For instance, women and people of color are often labeled as "aggressive" for the same behaviors that might be seen as "assertive" in others.