Life skills
Expressing yourself
  Before watching
1 If you are in a disagreement with someone, do
you tend to do these things? Circle Yes or No.
Then look at the answers to see if you are more
assertive or aggressive.
1 I stay calm.  Yes / No
2 I say what I think.  Yes / No
3 I try not to offend the other person.  Yes / No
4 I listen carefully to the other person’s explanations. 
Yes / No
5 I try and find a solution.  Yes / No
6 I force the other person to accept my point of view. 
Yes / No
7 I am open to changing my mind.  Yes / No
8 I get defensive (angry or offended) if someone
criticises me.  Yes / No
  While watching
2a 01  VIDEO SKILLS  Read the video skills box. Then
watch the video of two role-plays. Write a brief
description of the main problem(s) and the
solution in each one.
Hector and Robert
Problems
Solution
Anna and Aisha
Problem
Solution
VIDEO SKILLS: Recognising conflict
Conflict is often expressed by body language and the
way people talk, but there are often verbal clues, too.
Tag questions
You …, right?   You …, yeah?
Saying what you want directly
I just want you to …    Find me …
Emphasising the listener’s responsibility
As you know, …    You said you would/were going to …
What have you done?    You keep saying that, but …
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B2+ Unit
Refusing to accept excuses
What do you want me to do?
What do you mean you haven’t …?
2b 01 Watch again. Listen for the details of each
problem and complete the sentences.
1 Robert wants to exchange the shoes because …
2 He doesn’t have the receipt, but …
3 He needs a solution quickly because …
4 To put pressure on Hector he …
5 Anna feels the situation is unfair because …
6 As an excuse, Aisha says …
7 Anna doesn’t accept Aisha’s excuses because …
8 Anna feels under pressure because …
3a 01 Look back at 1 and at the video skills box.
Then watch again and answer the questions,
giving reasons for your answers.
1 Were Robert and Anna generally assertive or
aggressive?
2 Were Aisha and Hector defensive or did they remain
calm?
3b Robert and Anna both got what they wanted
in the end. Do you think this justifies how they
communicated, or do you think they still need to
improve how they express themselves?
  After watching
4a Think about a time recently when you had a
disagreement with someone. What happened?
Was your disagreement solved in a respectful
manner? If not, what would you change about
how you and the other person behaved if you
had the same disagreement again?
4b SKILLS 4 LIFE  Find out more about how to be
assertive. Follow these steps.
1 Go online and carry out a search for ‘How to be
assertive’.
2 Visit some of the sites that come up in the search.
Visit at least two websites and watch at least two
videos. Make a note of the advice you are given.
3 Choose the best advice and write numbered tips for
how to be assertive. Refer to them when you need
to be assertive.
REFLECT ON IT
A lot of different organisations offer courses that
train you to be more assertive. Would you like
to be more assertive, and if so how could you
develop this skill? Why do you think assertiveness
can be so difficult to acquire?
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