Practice speaking and making small talk, give compliments to friends and strangers, call up a city official when you see something unreasonable or inefficient, praise others when they have done well, tell friends or co-workers experiences you have had, and on and on. Keep a diary of your interactions. Time involved Perhaps as little as a couple hours is needed, if you only have one or two situations in which you want to improve. If you are generally submissive, count on several hours for understanding, preparing, practicing and actually changing. Common problems Several problems have been mentioned above.
Some people refuse to admit their submissiveness.
Some are afraid to change. If you ask for changes in others, you are likely to be resisted and maybe resented. Appeal to their sense of fairness. If you can remain just as sensitive to other people's rights as you are to your own, this isn't likely to happen. Assertiveness training has been used with shy, anxious, depressed, stressed, aggressive and other kinds of persons.