The article describes many ways you can communicate supportively by being assertive. consider the following defensive comment: "you never listen to me when i talk to you." using the tips in the article, rewrite the comment so that it is an example of supportive, assertive communication.

i got 100% for using this so feel free to use it if you want.

the first two of these steps are engineered to avoid unnecessary and potentially  endless arguments. someone may not like your reaction. someone may think you are unjustified in having such a reaction. but only rarely would someone argue that you are not experiencing the feeling you report. alternatively, anyone can argue ceaselessly about an opinion or judgment. some even consider it sport.  a typical mistake made during the second step is to interpret the  meaning of behavior, instead of describing a specific behavior. if you complain that somebody is being "controlling," the object of your complaint may be sincerely dumbfounded, or may endorse their own attempt to "control" you.  the importance of the third step is to remind yourself to take responsibility for  your own problem. the problem you are seeking to solve is not the other person's behavior, but your feelings about it. they are powerless to determine your emotions. even if someone did everything you asked of them, you could still decide that it was an insincere effort, or too little too late, and so on. others are responsible for their behavior, and may change it if they understand the effects it has on those around them. you are responsible for your own feelings, and being assertive is one way to assume that responsibility.

people are gonna need the passage.