INPUT ARTICLE: Article: Using assertive communication skills means saying how you think and feel in a respectful and appropriate way. When you are assertive, you admit when you are wrong and take ownership of your personal faults. You do not blame others for your mistakes.  Avoid passivity, which involves avoiding talking about it, hiding, going along with what everyone wants you to do, and not standing up for yourself. Do not be aggressive, including: raising your voice, yelling, belittling, cursing, and violent behaviors (throwing things, hitting). Avoid being passive-aggressive. This is a mix between passive and aggressive forms of communication where you may be upset but not be forthcoming with your feelings. Therefore, you may do something behind someone’s back to get revenge or give them the silent treatment. This is not the best form of communication and the person may not understand what you are trying to communicate or why. Send positive nonverbal messages. Our nonverbal communication sends messages to the people around us. A smile says, “Hey, I should be frowning, but I can be brave and get through this thing." Let the person that is upset vent his frustrations and wait to respond.  Try to focus solely on listening to the person instead of thinking about how to respond. Focus on the other person's feelings and thoughts instead of your own. Make summary statements and ask clarifying questions, such as, "I hear you saying that you are angry because I forgot to clean the bathroom, is that right?" Empathize. Try to be understanding and put yourself in the other person's shoes. When we make mistakes we sometimes hurt others. Saying you are sorry shows that you regret the mistake, feel bad about the harm you’ve done, and that you want to do better in the future.  Don’t give excuses or try to explain it away. Simply own up to it. Say, "I admit I forgot to clean the bathroom. I am so sorry about that." Be careful not to blame others. Do not say something like, "If you would have reminded me to clean it then maybe I would have remembered and done it." Expressing ways to make up for the problem and committing to working on the issues are effective ways to fix a mistake when it involves another person.  Try to work out a solution. Ask the person what they would like you to do to make up for it. You could say, "Is there anything that I can do now?" Figure out how to do things differently in the future. You can ask the person, "What do you think might help me not make this mistake again?" Tell the person that you are willing to put in the work to reduce the likelihood of making the mistake in the future. You could say something like, "I do not want this to happen again so I will make an effort to ____." Say exactly what you will do such as, "I will make sure I write down a list of my chores so that I won't forget again."

SUMMARY: Be assertive. Use active listening skills. Apologize. Commit to positive change.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: What drove you to betray your partner? You are responsible for your actions, but understanding the emotion underlying your behavior may trigger your partner's empathy and will help you avoid similar situations in the future. Describe how you felt and then describe your behavior. For example, "I felt insecure in our relationship and sought attention from others."  Use "I" statements to avoid inadvertently making your partner feel like you are blaming them. It is key to help your partner see how you will avoid hurting them in the future. Identify what led to the behavior and ways you could have avoided the situation. For instance, if your behavior was influenced by a certain person, commit to avoiding being alone with them. This may involve making sure you have your partner or another friend accompany you to events the person is likely to attend, and leaving if you find yourself alone with the person.  Communicating and resolving your issues with your partner should always be included in the plan. Express genuine regret and remorse for betraying your partner. Your partner is more likely to trust you if they believe you will act to avoid future unpleasant emotions as a result of your behavior. Avoid making promises you can't or don't intend to keep. Failure to follow through on promises may make earlier apologies seem insincere.

SUMMARY: Explain your motivation to behave the way you did. Plan to behave differently in the future. Be sincere.


INPUT ARTICLE: Article: There are three audience levels you need to concern yourself with here:  The interviewer: Usually, a specific journalist will be assigned to your interview. Make sure you know who will be conducting the interview and read his or her past pieces to find out what that interviewer's slant or focus generally is. The media outlet: The tone of an interview usually varies depending on the medium used to deliver it. A blog is one of the most casual, followed by phone interviews, newspaper interviews, and radio interviews. Professional journal interviews and broadcast television interviews tend to be the most formal. The primary audience: The company the reporter works for will have a specific audience. A local news or radio station will ask questions that will concern local viewers, while a national station will ask questions that pertain to a wider audience. A specialized source, like a blog or journal, will focus on issues that affect their readership. If the interview is scheduled in advance, gather all possible information about it as you set up the time and date. Find out what material the interviewer plans on asking about as well as the expected length of the interview. Depending on the content of the interview, the journalist may even be willing to provide you with a list of questions he or she plans to ask. The list may not be comprehensive, but it could at least give you a place to start. If there is information you cannot disclose about a given topic, make sure the reporter knows this ahead of time. He or she may still try to ask about it anyway, but if you firmly explain that you will not answer those questions before the interview, the reporter is less likely to push you for an answer. Since press interviews can be about nearly any topic, it is impossible to generalize about the questions you will be asked during the interview. If the reporter does not provide you with a list in advance, prepare yourself by noting the most important aspects of whatever the subject matter is. Anticipate what others might be curious about and prepare your answers based on that. Conducting a mock interview is often a good way to calm your anxieties about the real interview.  Set aside time in advance for a test run. Ask a trusted associate to practice interviewing with you. Have the associate ask questions you have been informed about or ones that you anticipate and deliver your answers as though you were conducting the actual interview. You can wear anything you want during a phone or email interview, of course, but if you are meeting with the reporter in person, you should wear clean clothes that are suited to your position. This is true regardless of whether you will appear in photographs or video.

SUMMARY:
Know who you are dealing with. Ask for details about the interview before it happens. Set boundaries. Prepare a list of possible answers and key talking points. Do a mock interview. Dress to impress for in-person interviews.