Every one of us has struggled at some point in our life to speak up for ourselves. We limit our right to express ourselves freely and weaken our authority by asking ourselves questions such, “Can I tell my boss he made a mistake?” or “Can I disagree with my teammate on that matter?”

The most crucial inquiries we should address with ourselves are:

• “How can I be more assertive?”
• “When/where should I speak out for myself?” and
• “How can I stand up for myself?”

Adam Galinski, co-author of the best-selling book Friend & Foe and chair of the management division at Columbia Business School, provides comprehensive answers to all of our queries in a very instructive TED Talk.

According to his explanation, every one of us has a dynamic range of acceptable behaviours that might change depending on the situation. The power and confidence of an individual are directly correlated with this range.

Depending on the situation, power can mean a variety of things. For instance, having a variety of options during negotiations is a sign of authority. In other contexts, power is a symbol of things like status, knowledge & experience.

A person’s range instantly grows when they have a lot of power, whereas it immediately shrinks when they don’t. People must understand how to widen their ranges because of this.

The true test comes when you are in a situation where you have less power. We have a limited spectrum of acceptable behaviour.

• Speak up – get rejected or
• Don’s speak – go unnoticed.

Adam has offered some tips for reducing the risk, explained below:

Advocate for others/Be assertive (Mama Bear): You advocate on behalf of others. Speak on behalf of an organization or larger group. It carries fewer risks. The mother discusses the advantages of the family, the child, or ethics. They speak up for other people. It is a practice that is universally accepted. They become more confident.

Advocate for yourself/Take perspective: To effectively represent yourself, consider the world from the perspective of someone else.

Signal flexibility: In order to remove their barriers and convince them to accept your offer, provide customers a range of possibilities.

Get Followers/Allies: You can make important allies by speaking out for others or seeking advice from others.

Have Expertise: Expertise offers people integrity & credibility. Build skills or expertise.

These five techniques and approaches demonstrate that no matter the situation, anyone can learn to speak out for themselves and become more assertive. You will undoubtedly widen your scope of acceptable behaviour and start speaking up not only for yourself but also for others if you start advocating for others, asking for guidance, having good proof, and allies on your side.

Thanks for the reading! Also if you have any questions/feedback just shoot an email here- [email protected] and I will try to answer them at my best.