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DBT worksheet export
GIVE Skills Record
The GIVE worksheet helps you preserve connection during hard conversations by staying gentle, interested, validating, and easy in your tone.
What this worksheet is for
Log how you use GIVE—Gentle, Interested, Validate, Easy manner—to strengthen relationships when connection is the priority.
How to use it
- Read the full skill once before writing.
- Use the examples below to spot where it fits real life.
- Complete the reflection page using the answers you already typed or by writing directly on the PDF.
At a glance
Primary topic: give dbt worksheet
Worksheet type: Priority worksheet
Best for: Repair talks, emotionally loaded conversations, and moments when staying connected matters as much as getting your point across.
How to practice it
Gentle
Be kind, respectful, and avoid attacks. Tone down defensiveness, sarcasm, or raised voices.
Interested
Listen actively. Stay present, make eye contact, and show genuine curiosity about their perspective.
Validate
Acknowledge what makes sense about their feelings or actions—even if you disagree with the conclusions.
Easy Manner
Keep the vibe warm and human. Use a relaxed posture, slight humor, or gentle small talk to lower the temperature.
Real-world examples
Your friend vents about burnout. Instead of problem-solving immediately, you keep your tone gentle, lean in with interested questions, validate how heavy their load is, and add an easy-manner “Want to take a walk while we talk?”
Your teen is upset about a grade. You soften your voice, ask them to tell you what happened, validate the disappointment, and keep things light by joking about your own high-school mishaps before brainstorming together.
Before you write
Pick one situation you are actually likely to face this week. The activity page works best when you complete it for a real moment instead of a hypothetical one.
Worksheet activity
Practice Activity
Record three conversations this week where the relationship was your focus. After each one, reflect on how you used GIVE.
Reflect and write
Gentle: What words, tone, or posture kept things kind?
Interested: How did you show you were truly listening?
Validate: What did you reflect back or normalize?
Easy manner: How did you lighten the mood or keep it human?
What will you repeat or adjust next time to stay connected?