{"id":23840,"date":"2021-01-22T09:30:50","date_gmt":"2021-01-22T13:30:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=23840"},"modified":"2021-01-22T19:35:52","modified_gmt":"2021-01-22T23:35:52","slug":"nvc-communication","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/nvc-communication\/","title":{"rendered":"NVC Communication: A Language of Compassion"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is NVC communication? What are the core tenets of Marshall Rosenberg’s nonviolent communication approach?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nonviolent Communication<\/em> (NVC) is a framework for interacting with other people and ourselves with empathy and compassion. The author, Marshall B. Rosenberg, was drawn to the idea of encouraging compassion after witnessing the deadly 1943 Detroit race riots as a child.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Read about Marshall Rosenberg’s NVC communication framework and how to apply in practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

What Is NVC Communication?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The purpose of NVC communication is to foster authentic connections with ourselves and others. These connections have to start with compassion, which NVC naturally creates. You can use NVC in almost any relationship or environment, including in families, schools, governments, businesses, and personal relationships.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NVC is about communicating, but it is also a framework for attention. In communicating, we often fixate on unhelpful things (like judgment and defensiveness), but these behaviors won\u2019t get us what we need and want out of the conversation. Nonviolent Communication helps us refocus on what will. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this context, the words \u201cviolent\u201d and \u201cnonviolent\u201d don\u2019t just refer to physical conflict. Any communication that causes pain or harm to anyone (including ourselves) is \u201cviolent,\u201d while any communication that stems from true compassion is \u201cnonviolent.\u201d On a philosophical level, the core idea<\/a> of NVC is to keep your attention focused on a sense of common humanity when you communicate (instead of getting distracted by strong emotions) because that human connection<\/a> keeps you grounded in compassion. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For example, imagine someone has just insulted you. If you focus on your anger, you\u2019re likely to communicate violently by hurling an insult right back. But if you focus on the feelings and needs you have in common, you might recognize that insulting you was this person\u2019s way of expressing their insecurity and their need for self-esteem<\/a>. Keeping your attention on that common humanity allows you to tap into empathy (since we\u2019ve all felt insecure at some point), and empathy makes it easier to respond with compassion. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This doesn\u2019t mean you can\u2019t feel<\/em> strong emotions in NVC\u2014feelings are a core component of this framework\u2014it just means that you don\u2019t allow those strong feelings to stop you from communicating in a compassionate way. That way, you can communicate with anyone, even people you have serious disagreements with, without compromising your values around how human beings should be treated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

For any communication to be truly nonviolent, it has to come from a place of compassion, not<\/em> from a desire to make another person do what you want them to do. Paradoxically, when done well, NVC has a much higher chance of resulting in a satisfying outcome for everyone. In other words, to get what you want, you have to forget what you want and focus instead on the other person\u2019s humanity. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is NVC communication? What are the core tenets of Marshall Rosenberg’s nonviolent communication approach? Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is a framework for interacting with other people and ourselves with empathy and compassion. The author, Marshall B. Rosenberg, was drawn to the idea of encouraging compassion after witnessing the deadly 1943 Detroit race riots as a child. Read about Marshall Rosenberg’s NVC communication framework and how to apply in practice.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":23848,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40,34],"tags":[190],"class_list":["post-23840","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-books","category-communication","tag-nonviolent-communication","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nNVC Communication: A Language of Compassion - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The purpose of NVC communication is to foster authentic connections with ourselves and others. Learn about M.B. 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