bossdetox.ingDEAR MAN
Describe facts, express impact and assert a concrete request using a DBT-derived structure.
Clinical skill adapted for workplace use · evidence grade C
Where it comes from
An interpersonal-effectiveness skill from Marsha Linehan’s Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT).
What the evidence says
DBT has evidence for emotion regulation; DEAR MAN on its own hasn’t been validated at work.
When it helps
Making requests, setting boundaries, changing conditions and asking for clear priorities.
Offered in the app for: Changing criteria · Micromanagement · Excessive checking
Try it
- Describe the facts → express the impact → assert one request → say what it makes possible.
- Describe a known fact, its work impact and one concrete request. Leave room to negotiate.
Watch out
- Not for acute intimidation, where safety and escalation channels matter more than persuasion.
- Real workplace power asymmetries may constrain assertiveness.
Sources
The evidence label describes a broader process or framework. This extension and its brief workplace exercises have not been independently validated.