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Description

Assertiveness: Setting Boundaries, Saying No Without Aggression and Making Clear Requests

Two days to express what you think without slipping into conflict or giving way to others

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

You accept one more task because you could not bring yourself to decline. You let an inappropriate remark pass, then think about it all evening. You phrase a request so cautiously that nobody hears it. These small concessions accumulate and eventually weigh on working relationships.

This 14-hour programme builds the foundations of assertiveness. Participants identify their habitual behaviours under pressure, learn to make a clear request and a clear refusal, to express disagreement without aggression and to receive criticism without losing composure. Each technique is practised through role-play.

Learning objectives

  • Identify your habitual patterns of avoidance, aggression or manipulation
  • Formulate a precise request grounded in facts
  • Express a reasoned refusal without damaging the relationship
  • Express disagreement while keeping a measured tone
  • Receive justified or unjustified criticism without becoming defensive

What makes this programme different

Situations brought by participants, replayed until the wording feels right
Dedicated practice in holding a refusal in the face of persistence
A personal phrasebook built up over the two days

Programme

1Recognising Your Behaviour Under Pressure

Avoidance, aggression, manipulation and assertiveness

  • Identifying your usual reactions in tense situations
  • The cost of avoidance and of aggression
  • Spotting the situations where you systematically give way
  • Characteristics of assertive behaviour

2Requesting and Refusing

Clear wording that holds over time

  • Building a request around facts and expectations
  • A reasoned refusal with an alternative proposal
  • Responding to persistence and to appeals based on the relationship
  • Handling silence and group pressure

3Expressing Disagreement

Constructive criticism and voicing how you feel

  • Describing a fact without judging the person
  • Expressing the effect it has on you
  • Formulating a precise expectation
  • Maintaining tone and pace under pressure

4Receiving Criticism and Embedding Your Learning

Responding to attacks and concrete next steps

  • Accepting well-founded criticism without overreacting
  • Responding to unjustified or vague criticism
  • Handling ironic remarks and pointed comments
  • Selecting two situations to address as soon as you return to work

Who is it for

Anyone who finds it difficult to express a point of view or decline a request, in particular new joiners, support function staff and professionals in customer-facing roles.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.