Overview
Nonviolent Communication is a simple process that facilitates the flow of communication necessary to exchange information and resolve differences compassionately. It is based on identifying universaly shared standards and needs. NVC can be practically applied in educational institutions, business and industry, social service agencies and politically charged situations, as well as family and personal relationships.Nonviolent Communication encourages people to use language that increases goodwill. It teaches people how to avoid language that creates resentment or lowers self esteem. It emphasizes compassion as the motivation for actions, rather than fear, guilt, shame or blame. It also emphasizes personal responsibility for our choices. Nonviolent Communication can be used effectively even without the other person's or group's knowledge of the process.
Marshall Rosenberg has rediscovered the lost language of humankind, the language of a people who care about one another and long to live in harmony. He guides us in reframing the way we express ourselves and listen to others by focusing our consciousness on four areas: what we are observing, feeling, and needing and what we are requesting to enrich our lives.
The skills he teaches foster deep listening, respect, and empathy and engenders a mutual desire to give from the heart.
Editorials
D. Killian
Rosenberg starts with the question: What happens to disconnect us from our compassion, leading us to behave violently and exploitively? Rosenberg makes some challenging points: that compliments and apologies operate in a system of oppression; that rewards are as harmful as punishment, that killing is the easy way out. His distinction between punitive and protective force -- and how to discern when force is necessary -- should be required reading for anyone making foreign policy or policing, our streets. Demanding the ultimate form of responsibility -- and vulnerability -- it's no wonder that it has received little media and mass attention. Well-written and laid out, this book is accessible and easy to read.—On The Front Line, Cleveland Free Times
Kate Lin
I Highly recommend Nonviolent Communication to anyone interested in resolving conflicts, creating more intimate relationships, or exploring the connection between language and violence.—The New Times
Linda C. Stoehr
When you think about the growth in today's dysfunctional families and the increase of violence in our schools, Rosenberg's communication techniques are a godsend. Throughout the book are stories and dialogue exercises, to get the reader to apply what has been read. The author also gives summaries at the end of each chapter to reinforce his message. Rosenberg's four-step model is an easy to follow technique that fosters healthy dialogue.—Los Colinas Business News