Non-violent communication (NVC)
In intimate relationships, within the family, at work and in everyday situations… there is hardly a setting that does not involve interpersonal communication.
Paul Watzlawick says we cannot not communicate. Every lightly spoken word, every body movement, every raising of the voice or eyebrows reaches our counterpart as a signal, consciously or unconsciously, and influences his or her perception of the dialogue.
Many of us know this: from the most trivial of incidents serious rifts can arise because one word led to another and everyone felt completely misunderstood.
This is where the technique of non-violent communication developed by the psychotherapist Marshall B. Rosenberg comes in. According to Rosenberg, there is an unmet need behind every conflict. All people have the same needs - only their requests are different, and every person is willing to support other people if they themselves feel their needs are heard.
“Instead of playing the game “Making Life Wonderful”, we often play the game called “Who’s Right”. Do you know that game? It’s a game where everybody loses.”
Rosenberg has a doctorate in clinical psychology. The concept of non-violent communication emerged from his involvement with the American civil rights movement in the early 1960s. His goal was to help reverse racial segregation in schools and institutions in a peaceful way. He went on to hold training courses in Nonviolent Communication all over the world for more than 50 years, also working in the then crisis areas of Palestine, Serbia and Rwanda.
The concept of NVC can be applied in educational and corporate settings,
private relationships, therapy, counselling, negotiations and wherever conflicts arise.
Many coaching and mediation providers offer training and seminars on Nonviolent Communication and use NVC to deal with conflicts
Today there are thousands of NVC trainers in 65 different countries worldwide who live and work according to the philosophy of Nonviolent Communication (NVC).
Learning non-violent communication - also called empathic communication by Rosenberg - does not mean attending a seminar and knowing everything afterwards. It requires constant practice, self-reflection and further training. Empathic communication is not so much learned as lived.
We teach non-violent communication because it interprets life as a loving and meaningful context. Empathic communication does not only take place in the mind; it is above all experienced in the heart. When we connect with our own feelings and needs, we also succeed in connecting peacefully and happily with other people.
Our seminars are primarily aimed at participants who, out of personal interest, would like to learn about Nonviolent Communication according to Marshall B. Rosenberg in order to to better articulate their feelings and needs in friendships and partnerships, as well as in professional contexts.
We also offer in-house seminars for companies.
For specific questions on scope, content and costs, please contact: