Nonviolent Communication is a process that teaches people how to go inward, observe a situation, identify their feelings about the situation, see what their underlying needs are and then give a specific request to the other party as to how they could meet that need.
I have found it to be a wonderful tool to both get to know yourself better and to have much more constructive relationships with the people around you. It teaches people how to communicate with themselves and each other from the heart.
Here an introduction from wikipedia about it.
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Nonviolent Communication (abbreviated NVC, also called Compassionate Communication or Collaborative Communication) is a communication process developed by Marshall Rosenberg beginning in the 1960s.
It focuses on three aspects of communication: self-empathy (defined as a deep and compassionate awareness of one’s own inner experience), empathy (defined as an understanding of the heart in which we see the beauty in the other person), and honest self-expression (defined as expressing oneself authentically in a way that is likely to inspire compassion in others).
Nonviolent Communication is based on the idea that all human beings have the capacity for compassion and only resort to violence or behavior that harms others when they don’t recognize more effective strategies for meeting needs. Habits of thinking and speaking that lead to the use of violence (psychological and physical) are learned through culture. NVC theory supposes all human behavior stems from attempts to meet universal human needs and that these needs are never in conflict. Rather, conflict arises when strategies for meeting needs clash. NVC proposes that if people can identify their needs, the needs of others, and the feelings that surround these needs, harmony can be achieved.
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In this video an example of a full workshop given by Marshall Rosenberg.
It takes a bit of time and effort to understand this process but once you get it, it makes a lot of sense and it is very practical tool in your interpersonal relationships. It can really transform how you both interact with yourself and with the people around you. And so give you a lot more outer joy. 😀
Nonviolent communication is all about learning to interact and speak from the heart, both with yourself and the people around you. Artwork by Even Skaranger: www.evenskaranger.com