Healthy Minds

Assertive Communication and Decision Making

This lesson returns to the assertive communication technique and extends it into the context of decision-making and negotiation. A morally complex friendship dilemma is explored through "Conscience Alley" — a physical drama activity where the class line up as pros and cons while one student walks between them as the protagonist. Students then practise assertive communication, negotiation, and empathy in small-group role plays, learning to communicate difficult decisions effectively even when others disagree.

Learning Outcomes

Outcome 1:

Use skills to "weigh up" a situation

Outcome 2:

Understand that beliefs play a part in decision-making

Outcome 3:

Communicate a complex decision more effectively and negotiate if appropriate

What's included

A quick look at the classroom-ready resources that come with this lesson.

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1 PowerPoint
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3 PDFs
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Healthy Minds Teacher Guide — Assertive Communication Activating Events page 141
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Resilience Competencies page 8
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Student Handbook — Learning Record page 13
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Home Activity page 14
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About the Organisation

Bounce Forward is a registered charity on a mission to transform how we think about mental health, shifting the narrative from deficit and crisis to strength, prevention, and psychological fitness. They create evidence-based programmes, curricula, and training that give young people, school staff, and the adults around children the knowledge, language, and daily habits to build genuine mental resilience. From whole-staff training to five-year school curricula, everything they do is practical, grounded in science, and designed to make a lasting difference not just in the moment, but across a lifetime.

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