Assertiveness and Persuasion

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Assertiveness and Persuasion
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What comes to mind when someone says you are

• Assertive
• Persuasive
• Aggressive
• Passive
• Manipulative
• Controlling

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Personal Assessment

• Do you already know your level of assertiveness,
  persuasiveness?
• If asked to give a speech to a large group do you
  cringe in horror and decline the invitation?
• When another person is hostile towards you do you
  automatically become defensive?
• Do most people know you by name?
• Do you make efforts to engage others in
  conversations?
• Do you ask people questions?

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Never forget

• In many cases, it is how you say it, not what you
  say that matters most in interpersonal
  communication. So, be especially aware of your
  non-verbals when it comes to assertiveness and
  persuasion.

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Persuasion v. Coercion
I am going to pick you up and throw you off the
roof.
I am going to convince you that you want to jump
off the roof.
Coercion
Persuasion
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Persuasion

• Related to perceptions of credibility
• Trustworthy
• Qualified
• Personal dynamism
• How could being more persuasive assist a
  pharmacist in patient care, or you in dealing
  with others?
• Caution Persuasive not agressive

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How can we be more persuasive with patients and
others without being aggressive?

• Find common ground
• We both want you to get better as soon as
  possible
• We both want you to get completely better, so,
  you need to finish all this antibiotic
• Be honest about your intentions
• I need to call your doctor to verify this
  prescription
• I cant read the strength.(not)
• Be personally credible, admit when you dont know
  something
• Im not familiar with the use of nystatin for
  mental alertness

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How can we be more persuasive with patients and
others without being aggressive?

• Be patient i.e., reinforce your messages over
  time
• Now, next time I see you well talk about ways to
  help you quit smoking..
• Soften your appeals
• You need to stop smoking. Everyone knows its bad
  for you. (not)
• I think you might see some improvement in the way
  you feel if you could find a way to quit..
• Save your most important point for last.

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Assertiveness

• What happens to people who are not assertive?
• What are some of the characteristics of people
  who are more assertive?

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Assertiveness Skills

• Confrontation
• Let the person know they are being aggressive and
  you do not like it.
• State how you feel about the behavior and what
  the results of the behavior will be.
• When you arrive late for your shift, I feel angry
  because it makes me late to pick my daughter up
  from the sitter.
• I would appreciate it if you would call when you
  are running late, so that I can try to make other
  arrangements for my daughter.

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Assertiveness Skills

• Saying no
• When people make requests that are not
  reasonable, just say no.
• Set your personal limits
• Personally and professionally
• Moral, ethical, preferences, legal, etc.
• Because your doctor is not available right now, I
  can not refill your prescription. I must speak
  with her first. I can give you two tables
  until..

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Assertiveness Skills

• Making requests
• Key Point
• Do not be afraid to ask for what you want.
• I want you to make an appointment to see your
  doctor about your knee pain. The symptoms you
  have described are serious enough that they need
  to be assessed before we try to treat this with
  over the counter medications
• If you can speak to me with out being
  disrespectful we can continue this conversation.

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Assertiveness Skills

• Expressing your opinion
• Being expressive lets people know where you stand
• It can demonstrate credibility making you more
  persuasive
• Doctor, I believe a short acting benzodiazepine
  would be more appropriate in this patient due to
  their age.

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Assertiveness Skills

• Initiating conversations
• Be a starter, seek opportunities to engage others
• Avoid being abrupt or pushy
• Hello, Im the pharmacist, Mary, and I noticed
  you looking at the cough medications, can I help
  you select one?

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Assertiveness Skills

• Being more self disclosing
• Very personal issue
• Sometimes, when you reveal personal information
  it can present the image of being more assertive
  showing your confidence.
• Sometimes, people will be thinking, a little too
  much information
• Find the balance.use your rapport to know your
  limits
• I take a blood pressure medication very similar
  to this and I have not had any negative side
  effects.

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Cases
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Dr. Smith, this is Susan Stone, the pharmacist at
Village Pharmacy. Im really sorry to bother
you. I know you are very busy. I could call back
later if you want. But, I wanted to ask you
about Mrs. Smiths prescription for Prozac.
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Dr. Smith, this is Susan Stone, the pharmacist at
Village Pharmacy. Im calling to verify the
dose on Mrs. Smiths prescription for Prozac.