Assertive, Not Aggressive: The Right Way to Be Heard Without Being Hated

Negotiate Anything

American Negotiation Institute

Education, Business, Self-improvement

4.7 • 748 Ratings

🗓️ 1 June 2025

⏱️ 55 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Is your fear of being seen as "too much" keeping you silent? Kwame Christian sits down with assertive communication expert Ivna Curi to dismantle one of the most damaging myths in leadership and workplace culture — that speaking up means being aggressive. You’ll learn the four pillars of true assertiveness, how to balance confidence with warmth, and why staying silent often creates more backlash than setting boundaries ever could. From high-stakes roleplays to actionable scripts, this conversation is packed with tools to help you communicate clearly, respectfully, and powerfully — without becoming the villain in the room. If you’ve ever held back for fear of being misunderstood, this episode is your guide to showing up fully and being heard. Contact ANI ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Request A Customized Workshop For Your Company⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Kwame Christian on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠negotiateanything.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to buy your copy of Finding Confidence in Conflict: How to Negotiate Anything and Live Your Best Life! Contact ANI ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Request A Customized Workshop For Your Company⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Follow Kwame Christian on LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠negotiateanything.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Click here to buy your copy of Finding Confidence in Conflict: How to Negotiate Anything and Live Your Best Life!

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, I'm Kwame Christian and you are about to step into the world of Negotiate Anything,
0:06.2	the number one negotiation podcast in the world where we teach you how to make difficult conversations easier while getting more of what you want in the process.
0:14.7	Each episode is packed with practical tips and strategies from the experts.
0:19.5	We delve into negotiation, conflict resolution,
0:22.7	and leadership skills that are crucial in both business and in life. Whether you're closing a deal,
0:28.3	managing a team, or navigating personal relationships, negotiate anything provides you with the tools
0:33.9	you need to succeed. Our conversations are real, relatable, and most importantly, rooted
0:39.8	in practicality. So if you're ready to transform your conversations and elevate your negotiation skills,
0:46.2	join me on Negotiate Anything. Subscribe and listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you love to
0:52.7	listen. Let's make every conversation a winning negotiation.
0:58.8	Ivna, thanks for joining us today. Thank you, Kwami. I am excited that we get to talk.
1:05.1	Yes, I'm excited. We're going to do it this time. Yes. We're really going to do it.
1:19.0	Listeners, even as the most patient guest ever, we had this amazing conversation that was not recorded.
1:19.7	It didn't record.
1:20.7	I felt so bad.
1:21.9	We didn't get it done.
1:23.2	And then we said, we're going to reschedule.
1:25.9	We were scheduled a number of times.
1:27.2	And then I got sick and all of
1:29.1	these things. So it took us, what is like eight months, 10 months? Yeah, yeah, almost a year. That's right.
1:35.9	Jeez. Well, I'm glad. Well, we're bigger than ever now. So we're getting you out to as many people as we
1:41.8	can. So can you let the listeners know about yourself and what you
	...

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