Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg is one of those books you wish someone had given you when you were 20, has you signing up for courses in your area, suggesting workshops to your boss and wanting to get everyone you know on board so you can practise. I even found myself hoping for conflict so I could put it to the test. NVC is a way of communicating feelings and underlying needs without using blame, criticism and demands. It believes that all human beings have the same basic needs and that conflict arises only when the strategies to meet these needs are in opposition. By using this compassionate communication method, most conflicts can be resolved peacefully and satisfactorily, in fact Marshall developed it as a tool for negotiating peace in war zones.
There is also this great youtube video which covers nearly all the material in the book.
If you’ve had any experience in NVC, I would love to hear about it, particularly how it translates to day to day situations.
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