Assertive Skills
A friend sends you a really mean text message.
What should you do?
Tell them "I don't appreciate you talking to me that way."
Tell an adult (if needed)
Explain how the text made you feel.
Your good friend tells they are not feeling well.
What can you do?
Ask if there's anything you can do to help
Tell them to go to the nurse
You find out your good friend likes country music but you don't like country music.
How should you handle it?
Ask your friend what they like about country music
Tell them about your favorite music genre
What are coping skills you can use when you feel overwhelmed?
Take a deep breath
Listen to music
Talk to a friend or trusted adult about what is overwhelming you
Sit in a quiet, peaceful area
How can you make new friends in high school?
Ask what your peers interests are
Talk to students during lunch or gym
Join a club or sport
Your friend asks you to skip class with them
What should you do in this situation?
Tell your friend that you do not want to
A friend tells you it would be funny if you knock over another student's books.
What should you do?
Decline to knock over the books because then the other student would have to clean up the mess
You promised your friend that you'd help them study for their history test after school, but you'd rather stay home and watch a movie now.
What should you do?
Keep your promise and help your friend study then suggest watching a movie after
You find out you are having a surprise test in your hardest class that you haven't studied for.
What can you do?
Take your time
Read all of the questions fully
Double check your answers
You meet new friends and want to hang out with them but they want to go see a horror movie and you can't sleep after watching scary movies, what do you do?
Decline the offer, but tell them you want to do another activity sometime
Suggest a different movie
Your friend has been texting a lot, sending 20 messages per hour...
How might you feel and what might you do?
You might feel overwhelmed, frustrated, excited, concerned, etc.
You could: ask your friend to give you space and ask them if they are doing okay
Your friend tells your their family member has died.
How do you respond?
Ask your friend what you could do to support them
Tell them you are sorry for their loss
You disagree with your friends perspective.
What do you do?
Respectfully disagree
Explain your opinion
The English class homework is really hard this year and, you get frustrated because you do not understand it.
What do you do?
Ask your teacher for help
Ask another student in the class for help
Use coping skills to manage frustration
What are the benefits of having good social skills?
Communicating your needs/wants better
Making friends
Getting the help you need
A peer wants you to engage in smoking or drinking with them.
What do you say or do?
Decline to smoke or drink and offer to participate in something else
Your friend trips and falls in the rain getting mud all over their new shoes
What can you say or do?
Offer to help get them towels/cleaning supplies to wipe their shoes
Be empathetic (i.e. "I'm sorry that happened")
Describe a similar scenario that happened to you
You have caught another student stealing items out of your locker and trying to copy your work
What do you do?
Talk to the student
Report incident to a parent or teacher
A student talks out of turn and yells out answers to questions without raising his hand, he is often loud and makes noises. He is often disruptive.
What do you do?
Politely tell the student you're not done talking
Ask them if they will wait to speak after your turn
Give an example of poor social skills.
Not listening when your friend is talking
Interrupting your friend
Not taking turns in a group discussion
Calling a friend names
Your friend wants you to steal a bag of chips from 7/11 for them
What do you say?
Decline to steal the bag of chips
Your friend finds out they have to move schools and they're crying out of frustration
What can you say or do?
Share your frustration about them moving
Tell them you will miss them
Come up with times you can still hang out outside of school
Share phone number/social media to keep in touch
Someone is throwing paper towels at you in the bathroom, what do you do?
Tell them to stop
Leave the situation/use a different bathroom
Tell a friend
Tell a trusted adult
It is two weeks before finals/graduation and you have lost motivation to complete your assignments.
What do you do?
Talk to the teacher and ask to make an arrangement to complete assignments for credit
Talk to other students about your situation
Use coping strategies
What are some social skills to keep in mind when traveling abroad?
Research the country's social etiquette rules, follow them and be respectful of historical sites