Formatted assertive statement

A formatted assertive statement is any informative statement that is formatted in order to be assertive.

Todd Bishop's format

One expert in crew resource management (CRM), Todd Bishop, developed his five-step assertive statement process.

Attention getter

Opening or attention getter - Address the individual. "Hey Chief," or "Captain Smith," or "Bob," or whatever name or title will get the person's attention.

   State your concern - State what you see in a direct manner while owning your emotions about it. "We're low on fuel," or "I think we might have fire extension into the roof structure."
   State the problem as you see it - "I don't think we have enough fuel to fly around this storm system," or "This building has a lightweight steel truss roof. I'm worried that it might collapse."
   State a solution - "Let's divert to another airport and refuel," or "I think we should pull some tiles and take a look with the thermal imaging camera before we commit crews inside."
   Obtain agreement (or buy-in) - "Does that sound good to you, Captain?"

These are difficult skills to master, as they require a change in interpersonal dynamics and organizational culture.