A typical work situation would be one where most or all of the other people in a meeting agree on something but you don’t.
If you’re assertive you would still feel happy expressing your views clearly so that people understand where you’re coming from and why you don’t agree.
In doing this you wouldn’t be aiming to ‘steamroller’ everyone else in the room into agreeing with you. You would be hoping that by expressing your opinion clearly you would be helping the group reach the best decision possible by bringing an alternative viewpoint.
People who need to improve their self-esteem and confidence often struggle with assertiveness.
They feel that by disagreeing they will stand out and potentially turn against them. They don’t understand that by having the confidence to express an unpopular opinion calmly people will actually value their input more.
This is why many business courses focused on assertiveness are also confidence skills training courses.