Assertiveness Assignment
1. "I wanted to talk to you about my clothes. I’ve noticed you’ve been taking them from my
closet while I’m at work, and they’ve been coming back with stains or dirty. I feel frustrated
because I always ask before borrowing anything and return it clean. I want you to stop taking my
clothes without asking and only borrow something if I say it's okay."
2. "Avery, gotta talk about mornings. You're late a lot lately, which means I'm showing up late
to work too. Boss noticed, mentioned it to me twice already. I totally get mornings are rough
sometimes, but this is making me look bad at work. Can we leave earlier maybe? Or figure
something else out? I really can't keep being late, my job depends on it."
3. "I need to talk to you about the $2000 I lent you. It’s been almost a month since you said
you’d pay me back the next day. I feel frustrated and concerned because I have bills coming up
and was counting on that money. I want you to pay me back this week so I can stay on top of my
expenses. When can I expect the payment?
4. "I want to talk about the dent in my car. I know you think it’s not a big deal, but it really
bothers me, and I care about keeping my car in good shape. I feel frustrated because I didn’t
cause the damage, but now I’m stuck with it. I want you to pay to have it fixed since you were
the one driving when it happened. If it doesn’t get repaired, it could lower the car’s value or
cause problems down the road. Can we figure out where to take it and how to get it paid for
soon?"
5. " I need to talk to you about what happened with my job interview. I feel really hurt and
disappointed because I trusted you to keep that private, and now my boss knows about it. That
could seriously affect my current job situation, especially if the interview doesn't work out. I
want you to respect my privacy when I ask you not to share something, especially when it could
impact my career. If I can’t count on you to keep things confidential, I won’t feel comfortable
sharing personal things with you anymore.
6. " Hey, I need to talk to you about the dishes. I feel frustrated and overwhelmed because I’ve
been doing them for the last three weeks when it was your turn. I want us to either stick to our
current chore schedule or create a new one that you’re willing to follow. If this keeps going the
way it is, I’m going to feel taken advantage of, and I may stop picking up the slack altogether. I
want us to both share the work so it feels fair to both of us. How do you feel about that?"
7. " I want to talk about what happened with the server. I felt really uncomfortable when you
spoke to them that way after they said they were out of the special. I understand you were
frustrated, but I want you to treat servers with more patience and respect when we go out. When
that doesn’t happen, it makes it hard for me to enjoy being out together.”
8. "When you don’t listen to me after asking for my opinion, I feel ignored and unimportant. I
want you to focus on what I’m saying when you ask for my thoughts because it matters to me. If
now isn’t a good time for you to listen, I want us to wait and have this conversation later when
you can give me your full attention."
9. "I need to talk to you about skipping classes and asking for my notes. I feel frustrated and
worried because I’m putting in the effort to attend and study, but you’re not doing the same. I
want you to start going back to class regularly so you don’t fall behind. If you keep skipping, I’m
concerned you won’t pass the course, and I don’t want that to happen. I’m willing to help you
with the notes, but only if you commit to showing up more."
10. "Dad, I feel frustrated when you keep pushing engineering after I tell you I want to teach. I
would like you to listen to what I really want and support my decision to become a teacher. It’s
important to me that you respect my choice because it affects my happiness.”