Coaching practices for Dear Man Describe

Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For Dear Man Describe, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.

Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?

  • When I ask for something I frame it entirely around how much I need it, and the other person hears only the cost to them
  • There’s something I need to ask for and I keep rehearsing it and chickening out
  • I go in to ask for one clear thing and the other person throws out a counter-grievance or an old argument, and suddenly we’re ten miles off topic
  • When I finally try to say how something landed on me, it comes out as "you made me feel"
  • Going into this hard conversation I want it all at once

Practices that may help

  1. DEAR MAN: DBT’s Skill for Asking for What You Want Effectively
    DEAR MAN — Describe, Express, Assert, Reinforce, Mindful, Appear confident, Negotiate — is a DBT interpersonal effectiveness skill developed by Marsha Linehan. It structures requests and refusals so they are clear, non-aggressive, and effective, balancing getting what you need with preserving the relationship. The evidence base is embedded in the broader DBT clinical literature.
  2. Reinforce by explaining the benefit to the other person
    Tell the other person what is in it for them — or what the positive outcome looks like for both of you.
    DEAR MAN: DBT’s Skill for Asking for What You Want Effectively
  3. DEAR MAN: making effective requests
    Describe, Express, Assert, Reinforce — then Mindful, Appear confident, Negotiate.
    DBT Interpersonal Effectiveness: Getting What You Need Without Destroying the Relationship
  4. Stay mindful of your goal when the conversation gets difficult
    Keep returning to your goal and resist being pulled into side arguments or emotional spirals.
    DEAR MAN: DBT’s Skill for Asking for What You Want Effectively
  5. Express how you feel using "I" statements
    Say how the situation affects you — "I feel..." rather than "you make me feel..."
    DEAR MAN: DBT’s Skill for Asking for What You Want Effectively
  6. Balance FAST with DEAR MAN when the relationship and the goal are both at stake
    Use DEAR MAN for what you want, GIVE for the relationship, and FAST for yourself — and know which to weight when they conflict.
    FAST: DBT’s Skill for Maintaining Self-Respect in Relationships
  7. DEAR MAN for interpersonal effectiveness
    A structured script — Describe, Express, Assert, Reinforce, Mindful, Appear confident, Negotiate — for asking and saying no.
    Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) Skills, Made Practical
  8. Strip the event to the bare facts
    Describe what actually happened without the story you’ve wrapped around it.
    Meditations, as Marcus Practiced It
  9. Describe the situation with observable facts
    State what actually happened — just the observable facts, without interpretation.
    DEAR MAN: DBT’s Skill for Asking for What You Want Effectively
  10. Appear confident even when you don’t feel it
    Maintain eye contact, a level voice, and an upright posture — confidence is performed before it’s felt.
    DEAR MAN: DBT’s Skill for Asking for What You Want Effectively

Related concerns

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