training: nonviolent communication

...à la Dr. Marshall Rosenberg is one of my favorite topics.

On the following pages you will find details about the open seminars I offer in nonviolent communication.

Nonviolent Communication (NVC) was developed over 40 years ago by the world-famous conflict mediator Dr. Marshall Rosenberg, and has since become common all over the world, from Australia to Brazil and from Serbia to India. For a while there has even been a forum for Nonviolent Communication on XING and LinkedIn.

Nonviolent Communication encourages and empowers us to change our inner bearing and word usage so that we have a better chance of achieving what we desire from our fellow humans without eliciting a defensive reaction or backlash.

The point is not to be "nice", nor to incorporate flowery language into our speech, but rather to let go of affected positions that increasingly relinquish valuations, and to communicate at "eye level".

We no longer ask "who is to blame, and who is right?" but rather "what do I truly need right now?" and "how might the other side perceive this issue?" Rather than grinning and bearing it or reacting with impulsive rejoinders when something goes against our grain, we put ourselves in the position to respectfully and inquisitively respond to the basic needs behind our conversational partner's perspective. Thus, we can leave behind us the otherwise prevailing and as a rule not very successful downward spiral of justifications and recriminations, which will significantly strengthen our capacity to act in difficult situations and allow us to simultaneously introduce our concerns and preserve good relations with our colleagues. From this basis, it is often a small step towards a win-win resolution since people who realize that they are being treated with respect are almost always ready to also behave in a fair and cooperative manner.

Because of our socialization the acquisition of NVC is like learning a new language, and requires practice. The rewards of this practice are:

• pleasing contact with our fellow humans
• easier implementation and modification of one's own agenda
• less annoyance, frustration and psychological stress
• faster recovery of one's own capacity to act in difficult situations.