Assertiveness training for managers and teams

Archetype’s assertiveness training teaches executives, managers and sales teams to say no, set boundaries, give feedback and hold a position at work without being passive or aggressive. It is run for your company alone, on situations taken from the participants’ own work, rehearsed in role-plays and then applied in the field with a coach. In English, French or Dutch, in Brussels, Wallonia, Flanders and the Netherlands. Public prices: €1,450 per half day, €2,500 per day.

Team leader holding a calm, assertive one-to-one conversation — Saying things clearly without aggression, practised on real cases.

Workplace training or individual support: what we do

The word “assertiveness” covers two very different offers: support from a psychologist for someone who struggles to assert themselves, and training for professionals. Archetype does the second. If the request concerns social anxiety or a personal journey, a psychologist will be better placed than we are, and we will tell you so.

	Individual support	Archetype assertiveness training
Starting point	A personal difficulty	A work situation: correcting a team member, saying no to a client, settling a disagreement in a meeting
Audience	One person	Executives, managers, project managers, sales teams
Material	Their own history and behaviour	Cases brought by participants, replayed in role-plays
Follow-up	Sessions with the therapist	Coaching in the field after the training days
Language	Usually one	English, French or Dutch

The situations we work on

The manager who does not dare to correct a senior team member or a former colleague.
The project manager who accepts every request and meets deadlines by working longer hours.
The salesperson who gives way on price at the buyer’s first objection.
The executive who is firm with their team and silent in front of the board or a major client.
Meetings where nobody disagrees, and then nothing moves.

How the training runs, from intake to the field

Intake and briefingWith the sponsor, we list the situations that get stuck today. The programme is built on that list.
Each person’s styleEach participant sees how they react under pressure, using Insights Discovery, the colour model.
Real cases in role-playsCases are replayed until the new response comes out, even when the other person pushes back.
Coaching in the fieldThe conversation rehearsed in the classroom on Tuesday is held on Thursday with a real team member or a real client.

Our training isn’t slides in a room. The room is the starting point. The field is where change has to be proven. That’s why every track combines collective training with individual coaching: a salesperson can learn a new questioning framework on Tuesday in the classroom, but they only integrate it when they use it with a real client on Thursday. Without follow-up coaching, most of what’s taught is forgotten within a few weeks. That’s why we never do classroom-only.
The Archetype method, since 1993

Format and prices

The length is set after the intake: a half day on one precise topic such as giving feedback, or a programme of several days with coaching between the sessions. Our prices are public:

Service	Price
Intake and briefing	€1,000
Training day	€2,500
Half day	€1,450
Field coaching	€1,800
Consultancy	€325 per hour

Worked example, not a quote: one intake (€1,000), two training days (2 × €2,500) and two field coaching days (2 × €1,800) come to €9,600.

The four steps of an assertive response

A four-step model called DESC helps to structure an assertive response: describe, express, specify, consequences. Example: a team member hands in their report late for the third time.

Describe the facts, without judgement. “This week’s report arrived on Thursday instead of Monday. That’s the third time this month.”
Express the effect. “I had to ask the client for more time twice, and that makes me uncomfortable.”
Specify the request. “From now on, I need the report by Monday at noon. If that’s not possible, let me know on Friday.”
Set out what happens next. “If it keeps slipping, we’ll look together at what we can take off your plate so the deadline holds.”

The model is not something to recite. In training, participants work on their answers until they can say them in their own words, even when the other person justifies themselves or changes the subject. For a definition and the attitudes to avoid, read our guide to assertive communication in the workplace.

Common assertiveness traps for managers

Saying no to everything. Being assertive means making a clear choice, including when that choice is yes.
Firm with the team, silent with senior management. Setting a framework for your own team is one thing; setting it for your line manager or a major client is much harder.
Holding everything in until it explodes. Unspoken irritations come out months later, often at the annual review.
The scripted “I” message. A sentence learned by heart, with no real request behind it, sounds cold.
Difficult messages by email. In writing, tone disappears and a disagreement escalates faster.

Working on your assertiveness alone: five exercises for managers

For one week, note every time you said yes while thinking no. After five days, a pattern appears: with whom, on which topic.
Each week, prepare one difficult conversation in writing, using the four steps above.
Take three seconds before answering an unexpected request. “I’ll get back to you tomorrow” is also an assertive answer.
After a meeting, ask a colleague whether your position was clear.
Practise out loud. A sentence you have never said rarely comes out well under pressure.

On your own, you see neither your tone nor your body language. That is what role-plays and field coaching are for. A participant from EASPD, after a leadership training course, put it this way: “Challenging yet rewarding. The training pushed me out of my comfort zone, especially during the feedback and reflection exercises.”

Why take this training with Archetype

Since 1993, we have been recruiting, assessing and training sales, marketing and management profiles. We know the conversations your managers need to hold because we assess those same roles.
If you first want to know where your managers stand, the programme starts with an assessment of managerial skills.
More than 155 active clients, several of whom have entrusted us with their training budget for the fourth year in a row.
If assertiveness training will not solve the problem you describe, we will tell you before you sign.

Assertiveness is also covered in the performance review module of our management training, in our communication training and across our other corporate training programmes.

About Archetype

Archetype is a Belgian family business founded in 1993 by Marc Diamant and now co-managed with Davy Diamant and Steve Diamant. A member of Federgon, it won Talent Business Innovation of the Year 2025 for its ethical and structured use of AI.

Frequently asked questions about assertiveness training

What does assertiveness training involve?

It teaches people to express their views, limits and expectations without passivity or aggression. At Archetype, it includes an intake with the sponsor, work on each person’s communication style, role-plays on real cases and coaching in the field.

What are the four steps of assertiveness?

Describe the facts without judgement, express the effect they have, specify what you are asking for, set out what happens next. This is the DESC model.

How long does assertiveness training last?

A half day is enough for one precise topic, such as giving feedback. For a change in behaviour that lasts, plan several days with field coaching between the sessions. The length is decided after the intake.