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Comunicacin
asertiva:
Pautas para lograr
el objetivo
La asertividad como habilidad comunicativa potencializa la
efectividad en la transmisin y recepcin de mensajes. Se
relaciona con la capacidad de expresar de forma clara, directa
y honesta nuestras emociones, pensamientos y aquello que
realmente deseamos.
Considerando la importancia de esta herramienta para la
organizacin, Leadership desarroll este tema desde una
perspectiva acadmica y empresarial con entrevistas a
representantes de ECO Comunicaciones, Nestl Per, JV
Resguardo y la Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola - USIL, Per.
Assertive
Communication:
Guidelines
for Achieving
Objectives
Assertiveness, used as a communication skill, makes the transmission
and reception of messages more effective. It is related to the ability
on how we express our emotions, thoughts and what we really
want in a clear direct and honest way.
Taking into account the importance of this tool for organizations,
Leadership has developed this topic from an academic and
entrepreneurial perspective by interviewing representatives from
ECO Comunicaciones, Nestl Per, JV Resguardo and the San
Ignacio de Loyola University - USIL, Peru.
Ser asertivo implica desarrollar la habilidad de etc., pero eso no significa que utilicen una
transmitir o recibir mensajes, opiniones y/o comunicacin agresiva ni pasiva. Posiblemente,
sentimientos de manera oportuna, honesta, tengan una comunicacin asertiva como
justa y respetuosa. Estas caractersticas son base para establecer una adecuada dinmica
analizadas por Fernando Otero Davis, Director productiva dentro de la organizacin.
de Imagen Corporativa y profesor de la Escuela
En funcin de la empresa y de quienes
de Postgrado de la Universidad San Ignacio
la constituyen pueden fijarse las mejores
de Loyola USIL, Per.
estrategias para desarrollar una comunicacin
La asertividad es un concepto aportado por asertiva. El Dr. Otero Davis resume cuatro
la Psicologa moderna para la comprensin y como las ms importantes: 1. Libertad de
mejora de nuestras relaciones sociales. Esta expresin. 2. La comunicacin debe ser
rama establece bsicamente tres tipos de directa, abierta, franca, adecuada y respetuosa.
conducta asertiva: una socialmente habilidosa, 3. Generar condiciones de comunicacin
otra agresiva y una pasiva. 1) La conducta asertiva en toda clase de personas y a todo
asertiva o socialmente hbil, implica respeto nivel en la empresa. 4. El comportamiento
hacia uno mismo y hacia los dems al expresar debe ser respetable y preparado para aceptar
nuestras necesidades y/o derechos. 2) La las limitaciones de ambas partes, sea de la
conducta agresiva, se refiere a las expresiones empresa o las personas.
y manejo de sentimientos y opiniones de
Una poltica de comunicacin asertiva dentro
forma inapropiada e impositiva, vulnerando
de una organizacin contribuye a mantener
los derechos de las otras personas. Puede
un adecuado clima interno, generando
exteriorizarse de manera directa, indirecta,
bienestar emocional, adems permite reforzar
verbal o no verbal. 3) La conducta pasiva,
la confianza en la capacidad expresiva del
transgrede los propios derechos del individuo
personal y potenciar su autoestima. La suma
al no ser capaz de expresar sus sentimientos
de estos elementos fortalece la imagen interna
y opiniones, a veces por falta de confianza en
y social de la institucin y favorece el logro de
su propia argumentacin, baja autoestima o
objetivos que dependan de la comunicacin
temor a no ser escuchado y que no se le de
en general.
el lugar que cree le corresponde, comenta
Fernando Otero, quien a su vez aade que Para finalizar, el Dr. Fernando Otero enumera
la asertividad es una forma intermedia entre algunos beneficios y recomendaciones
una actitud pasiva o inhibida y otra agresiva. puntuales sobre comunicacin asertiva: 1.
Nos ensea a manifestarnos con propiedad
Una persona asertiva suele ser tolerante y sabe
ante cualquier circunstancia e individuo. 2.
usar la motivacin en su comunicacin, acepta
Siempre es conveniente expresar nuestros
los errores y propone soluciones factibles sin
sentimientos as sean de enojo o ternura, pero
ira, se encuentra seguro de s mismo, impide
con respeto para tambin ser respetados. 3.
manipulaciones y sabe frenar pacficamente a
El colaborador que aprende a ser asertivo
quienes lo agreden. Considerando ello, el Dr.
desarrolla la capacidad de examinar su
Otero seala que en la organizacin pueden
conducta y mejorar sus relaciones en
encontrarse diferentes perfiles, dado que una
situaciones difciles. 4. La comunicacin
compaa no es igual a otra y ms bien en la
asertiva fortalece la autoestima y el propio
prctica todas buscan diferenciarse. Algunas
respeto. 5. Ser un buen comunicador asertivo
empresas dicen ser muy agresivas en el
no significa ser un manipulador; significa
mercado por su potencial de crecimiento,
usar la verdad.
liderazgo, nivel de participacin, imagen,
Assertiveness Generates
Trust and Value in a
Company
An assertive communication policy inside an organization
contributes to keeping an adequate internal environment,
generating emotional well-being.
Being assertive implies developing the ability to level, image, etc., but this does not mean they
transmit or receive messages, opinions and/or use aggressive or passive communication.
feelings in a timely, honest, fair and respectful Possibly, they have assertive communication
way. These characteristics are analyzed by as a basis for establishing an adequate
Fernando Otero Davis, Director of Corporate productive dynamics inside the organization.
Image and professor at the San Ignacio de
In terms of a company and who makes it
Loyola Graduate School USIL, Peru.
up, the best strategies can be established
Assertiveness is a concept contributed by for developing assertive communication. Mr.
modern Psychology used in understanding Otero Davis summarizes four important ones:
and improving our social relationships. This 1. Freedom of expression. 2. Communication
branch basically establishes three types of has to be direct, open, straightforward,
behavior: assertive, aggressive and passive. adequate and respectful. 3. Generate assertive
1) Assertive or socially skilled behavior communication conditions in all people and
implies respect towards oneself and others at all company levels. 4. Behavior should be
when expressing our needs and/or rights. 2) respectful and one has to be prepared to
Aggressive behavior refers to inappropriate and accept the limitations of both parties, either
domineering expressions and management the companys or the peoples.
of feelings and opinions, violating the rights
An assertive communication policy inside
of other people. This can be exteriorized in a
Fernando Otero Davis direct, indirect, verbal or non-verbal way. 3)
an organization contributes to keeping an
adequate internal environment, generating
Director de Imagen Corporativa y Passive behavior violates an individuals own
emotional well-being. In addition, it helps
profesor de la Escuela de Postgrado de la rights because the person is not capable of
strengthen trust in the staffs capacity to express
Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola USIL, expressing his or her feelings and opinions,
themselves and reinforces their self-esteem.
Per. often due to lack of trust in his or her own
The sum of these elements strengthens the
arguments, low self-esteem or fear of not
institutions internal and social image and
being listened to and given the place he or
favors the achievement of objectives that
she deserves, says Fernando Otero, who in
generally depend on communication.
turn adds that assertiveness is an intermediate
form between a passive or inhibited attitude Finally, Mr. Fernando Otero mentions some
and an aggressive one. benefits and specific recommendations on
assertive communication: 1. It teaches us
Assertive people are usually tolerant and know
how to express ourselves properly in face of
how to use motivation when communicating.
any circumstance or individual. 2. It is always
They accept errors and propose feasible
convenient to express our feelings of anger or
solutions without showing anger. They feel
tenderness, but with respect so we can also
sure of themselves, prevent manipulations and
be respected. 3. Employees that learn to be
know how to calmly stop those who attack
assertive develop skills to examine their own
them. Taking this into account, Mr. Otero
behavior and improve their relationships in
states that different profiles can be found in
difficult situations. 4. Assertive communication
an organization, as one company is not the
strengthens self-esteem and self-respect. 5.
same as another and in practice all of them
Being an assertive communicator does not
want to be different. Some companies state
mean being manipulative; it means using
they are very aggressive in the market due to
the truth.
their growth potential, leadership, shareholding
Nestl: Communication
that transcends
At Nestl, to communicate in an assertive way means to do it
clearly, respectfully, congruently, directly and objectively. This
directly contributes to productivity.
Nestl is one of the most important companies according to their profiles and thus be able
in the market engaged in the nutrition, to adapt the message so it can be more
health and well-being line of business. The easily and effectively understood.
organizations main objective is to create
In addition, we adapt our inter nal
value in benefit of society and its employees.
communication tools according to the
Under this context, developing effective
nature of the role. For example, in the case of
communication becomes an essential need
workers who do not use a PC, communication
that requires managing different strategies.
by means of a news bulletin board works
In this respect, Leadership talked with
much better.
Alejandra Rivera Raffo, Head of the Internal
Communications Department at Nestl Peru. We also have Communication and Labor
Climate Facilitators in the different areas
The Internal Communications area contributes
and plants of the company. They are
to achieving business objectives. Therefore, it
employees who are very committed to the
is essential to generate the means, tools and
company. In addition to their role, they help
adequate spaces so employees understand
us communicate the different initiatives we
what the priorities and objectives we have
develop from HR, clear doubts and send us
as a company are and how they contribute
constant feedback in order to improve our
from their roles in fulfilling established goals.
Alejandra Rivera Raffo communication skills and be able to reach
In this context, the Steering Committee and our people with greater impact.
Jefa del Departamento de heads assume a very important task: aligning
Comunicacin Interna de At the company, it is essential for employees
objectives from the beginning of the year and
Nestl Per. to have a clear idea of the business objectives,
clearly communicating them to their teams.
to focus on the work they develop, to have
From the Internal Communication Area at
resources and well-defined rules of the game.
Nestl, we try to provide a communication
At Nestl, to communicate in an assertive
platform so employees can know about the
way means to do it clearly, respectfully,
teams progress and achievements.
congruently, directly and objectively. This
Likewise, another of our strategies is to directly contributes to productivity, because
encourage clear, transparent, direct, two- it prevents employees from making double
way communication (feedback). Therefore, efforts and to understand the nature of their
it is essential to develop the Heads roles better, accept them (expectations are
communicating skill because he or she is leveled off), focus their actions in achieving
key in this process. established goals and to really know what
is expected of them.
At NESTL, we encounter different
communication profiles. We have an Internal Finally, through assertive communication,
Customer studio, and work with Arellano we urge employees to give the best they
Consultores, which allows us to know our have and to reinforce their strengths and
people better, segment our audiences keep growing as a professional.
Assertive communication
helps create value and culture
Pretendemos transformarnos en una empresa de crecimiento; esto
nos asegura contar siempre con gente interesada en pertenecer a
la compaa.
We should apply open door policies and are not only related to security. We want to
develop different communication platforms become a growth company; this enables
in our organizations, states Javier Calvo, us to always count with people interested
General Manager at JV Resguardo y Guardin in being part of the company, points out
de la Cultura Liderman, a company engaged the JV Resguardo General Manager.
in security that started operations at the
It is very common to lose customers in this
beginning of 1990 and later decided to exploit
sector. Therefore, it is necessary to develop
the companys talent. It specializes in the
various communication platforms. We have a
efficient management of human resources,
live radio program on the Internet called the
in providing a good labor environment and
Liderman hour for the world, which seeks
in establishing an organizational culture,
to dignify, educate and professionalize the
thus developing a treatment and leadership
sector. In this space, we communicate with
culture. The Liderman brand works under
our reports in Peru and abroad, because we
these rules.
have offices in Ecuador as well. Likewise, we
Talent is managed in the company based have a program called the security guards
on humane treatment, which is called hour aired on Capital radio station. We
Lidermans humanism, explains Javier have taken advantage of the magic of the
Calvo, who adds: Growth of emerging Internet and social networks, like for example,
economies causes cheap labor to become having a Facebook account in which we
scarcer and more expensive. There are upload motivating videos with the purpose
less and less people who want to work of emotionally connecting workers with the
as security guards. After analyzing this company. We have more than 4 thousand
situation, we created Lidermania, a fans and our goal is to reach 30 thousand
project aimed at knowing what a worker or 100 thousand followers. It is essential
seeks or values. It was concluded they to invest in virtual media because it is the
value how they are treated the most, only way to reach our nearly 9 thousand
Javier Calvo followed by payment and lastly by growth. reports. On the other hand, we have a
Gerente General de JV Resguardo y Lidermania is based on three axes: the Ama system called the love station that counts
Guardin de la Cultura Liderman Trata, which deals with taking care of the with 2 million soles intended for granting
working environment. Therefore, we created loans without interests to any Liderman that
corporate governance and a Liderman requires one. The idea is to give them tools
culture guardian was appointed; the Ama so their personal and working dignity can
Paga, based on software specially created be protected, says Mr. Calvo.
for the company, in which Lidermans can
The companys great challenge is to make
check their salaries on a daily basis and
our reports love and become fans of their
print out their payment vouchers wherever
brand through the support we offer them.
they are. Likewise, at the company we
The security guard is what the manager
pay them three days before the usual pay
plans. Then, if we establish a relationship
day because this generates greater value
with them, they will know what we are
for our reports; finally, we have the Ama
looking for. Keeping this in mind, the
Crece program, developed thanks to the
Company Culture is based on different well-
support of the John Hopkins University -
structured programs aimed at strengthening
USA and Centrum Catlica - Peru. Our
communication with each of our reports,
purpose is to contribute to the professional
Javier Calvo ends by saying.
development of our reports in careers that
Effective communication
becomes a strategic
element
Assertive communication helps mold and strengthen a persons
self-esteem and self-assurance.
Assertive communication is a skill that helps not choose the tone, time or adequate way.
develop people, creates feedback spaces, They run the risk of harming without having
transfers knowledge and encourages tea- the opportunity to repair the damage. On the
mwork. It requires counting with mature other hand, people with a proactive behavior
people and this is only achieved when we take the time to find an answer. They have
clearly state what we feel and want and when better control of themselves and study other
the other person has the ability to assume response alternatives and then choose. They
and carry out a corrective action, points out are very valuable to the organization because
Claudia Pilar Herrera, Chief Executive Officer they disagree, propose, listen and agree.
of ECO Comunicaciones Peru.
On the other hand, Ms. Herrera lists the
This type of communication adequately main strategies in order to achieve asser-
channels our emotional loads caused by some tive communication: a) Self-knowledge to
situations. Consequently, communicating in help understand strengths and limitations.
an assertive way begins by recognizing events Knowing when to contribute and when to
that generate different emotions and feelings withdraw in a situation, as well as being able
(anger, annoyance, discomfort, frustration), to recognize with whom one can quickly
because it makes it easier to exteriorize establish a relationship and with whom it
them.The message should be conveyed to will be very difficult. b) Learn or strengthen
the adequate person (this condition is key; assertive communication techniques. There
otherwise, we are talking about a gossip or are several formulas that when constantly
rumor spreader). Likewise, it is necessary to applied, become a habit. c) To have the
Claudia Pilar Herrera chose the right way to do it, which involves strong will to use these techniques and be
finding the right tone of voice, gestures and guided by these concepts. Practice makes
Directora Ejecutiva de ECO perfect timing, says Claudia Herrera. perfect. It shows us the adjustments we have
Comunicaciones Per. to make, says our interviewee.
An assertive person is firm yet respectful.
They clearly convey the feeling or emo- Assertive communication has a key impact
tion caused, the situation triggering such on the companys sustainability. This is based
event and the consequences of not taking on the will of human beings to form part of
measures in this respect, among others. such. In this sense effective communication
Taking this into account, Claudia Herrera becomes a strategic aspect.
states that an organization is a framework
Employees clearly need to know what they
of human networks, exchanges and interac-
are doing well and what they need to improve
tion. Consequently, there can be different
on. In this context, assertive communication
behaviors. The behavior classification that
helps mold and strengthen a persons self-
adapts better to our context consists of
esteem and self-assurance. It helps them
two types: proactive and reactive. The first
find a direction. In the present context, a
one is more generalized. Reactive persons
leaders function goes beyond directing
shorten the distance between an event and a
and incorporating more human spaces.
reaction and they do not choose an answer
The boss usually becomes a psychologist,
but rather get carried away by it. They cling
advisor, therapist, confessor and this is when
with passion to what they believe in and thus
the use of this skill is needed for conveying
become less objective. They say the first
information, ends Ms. Herrera.
thing that comes into their minds. They do