Here are 5 out of 10 helpful tips on how to be more assertive at work and in life. To learn 5 more tips of this type, click the link: http://vkool.com/how-to-be-more-assertive/. Being assertive is being able to protect your rights and thoughts while respecting the rights and thoughts of other people. 1. Start Small The most important tip on how to be more assertive is to start small. Starting small means you practice one step at a time on the way to assertiveness. You had better learn to be decisive in mildly tense cases like trying to have your assignment done before going to bed no matter how difficult it is. This is just like a good preparation for the long-term decisiveness. After starting-small period, you can begin with more difficult cases like having your team complete a project earlier than its deadline no matter how hard you and other people in the team have to try. 2. Learn To Say No Another tip on how to be more assertive at work and in life is to learn to say no at the right time. For example, when you do not agree with someone’s request, you should say no right away. Do not hesitate to refuse the request when you find it unreasonable. Saying “No” properly is one of the strongest ways to express your decisiveness. With a limited source of time in life, you cannot meet everyone’s demand. You cannot work as a machine to accept and do all requests. Moreover, in many cases, you are asked to do unnecessary things. Therefore, you had better say “No” frankly then. 3. Speak Clearly And Slowly Assertive people often speak very clearly so that everyone can hear what they say well. Speaking clearly is one way to tell the listeners that you strongly believe in what you are talking about, and that you are willing to answer any question regarding what you present. Speaking slowly is one way to tell the listeners that you are trying to make them understand every single detail of the topic. This means that you are confident of what you tell, and do not need to go fast to distract the listeners. 4. Express Your Feelings Honestly Another important tip on how to be more assertive at work and in life is to express your feelings and demand concretely and directly. Feel free to speak out how you feel and what you think about things around so that other people know your point of view. 5. Use Body Language Appropriately You should smile comfortably when you are pleased, listen receptively when you are in a conversation, and make direct eye contact when communicating with others if you want to be more assertive at work and in life. Remember that non-verbal language also plays an important part in building your assertiveness.