About Nonviolent Communication

Note: Although I practice and share Nonviolent Communication, I am not a certified trainer with the Centre for Nonviolent Communication and the views expressed here are my own.

Nonviolent Communication (or NVC) is an approach to transforming conflict that was developed in the 1960s by Marshall Rosenberg, a clinical psychologist working on racial integration in American schools. In the subsequent decades, The Centre for Nonviolent Communication has been established and has empowered and certified hundreds of trainers to continue Rosenberg's work.  NVC has been used in a wide variety of contexts, including: dispute mediation, parenting workshops, relationship counselling, school reforms, prisons & restorative justice programs, and workplaces.

The approach does not aim to be original, but rather to give a clear framework for understanding age-old wisdoms. Immediate inspiration came from the work of Carl Rogers - the academic supervisor of Marshall Rosenberg - who articulated and defended the importance of empathy in the therapeutic process. Nonviolent Communication can be viewed as Rosenberg's attempt to bring the gift of empathy into our day to day lives - into our friendships, families, and workplaces. 

I have attended 40+ days of workshops with certified NVC trainers, and feel immense gratitude for their inspiration and teaching. In particular, it has been life-changing for me to work with Karl Steyeart, Katherine Singer, Myra Walden, and Kathleen MacFerran. 

Some of the benefits that I have experienced through practising NVC include: 
  • Deeper understanding and trust in personal relationships, through being empowered to initiate difficult conversations in a productive way. 
  • Increased confidence in conflict situations - instead of being afraid of them, I increasingly trust that by handling them with care and understanding they can be a source of growth and learning.
  • Greater peace and awareness around difficult issues in my family background. 
  • Increased energy and passion through a stronger connection with what I long for from life. 


Further Resources

To learn more about the NVC approach, you can purchase the introductory text Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life  - by Marshall Rosenberg.