Assertive Communication

Sometimes it is difficult as an International student or an Australian student who speaks limited English to deal with the difficult issues that require understanding of culture and language. It is important to always be clear about your thoughts, feelings and opinions. If you remain polite, maintain eye contact and clearly express your position, you will do very well. Remember, fewer words is best...just think about which words you will use before you approach the situation. Nobody expects you to be perfect!

So, grab a friend and practise these scenarios! Good luck!!

AIM: To practice assertive communication in a polite manner

Pick a scenario and discuss options for handling it with your partner. Then, role-play. Practice eye-contact and speaking politely as you deal with the problem.

Scenarios:

1. You don't understand the work your teacher just set in class. Everyone else is working and you feel flustered. What can you do?

2. You feel like you have no friends in your school and it's really difficult to approach students when your English skills are limited. How can you make friends?

3. Some students in your grade at school have just put pictures on their MySpace on the Internet and the comments they have attached are offensive to your culture. What can you do?

4. Your home stay mother has cooked a meal for you but you don't like it. What can you do?

5. You are unsure about what to do with your dirty clothes in your new home stay. How can you ask about what to do with dirty laundry in a polite way?

6. Your home stay mother gives you a packed lunch for school but you are still hungry every day. What can you do?

7. You want to talk to your host family but your English isn't very good and you feel embarrassed. What can you do?

8. You are a dorm student and you feel like everyone else has made good friends but you don't feel comfortable with the other students yet. What can you do?

9. You find it hard to study with all the noise around in the dormitory. What can you do?

10. One of the students in the dormitory seems sad all the time. What can you do?

11. You are on a bus from the local shopping centre to your school, but it seems to be going the wrong way. What can you do?

12. Money has gone missing at school and you suspect that your friend has taken it. How could you approach this?

13. Your friend wants to sneak out at night and go into the city. You know that you will be in trouble if anybody finds out and you don't want to do the wrong thing. How can you tell your friend how you feel?