About Privilege…

Privilege. I am privileged to meet you. That is a privilege. You have privilege. You are privileged. You are acting from privilege. One word - so many meanings, so many ways of using it. In the NVC community, this word has sparked years of ongoing debate. I share my current thoughts

Don’t Call Me White!

QUESTION: How do we address/what can we do to address the language and logic of micro-aggressions being appropriated by members of the dominant class, for example white folks talking about receiving micro-aggressions from (legitimately) angry or insistent POC? The question above asked by a participant in

Lonely Together

Do you find yourself struggling in your intimate relationship now that you’re spending a lot of time together? One surprising experience people have reported is that the extra time together leaves them feeling more lonely, not less! How could that be? Imagine this. You’re in the

Viewing Needs through an Equity Lens

At a retreat, I supported a conversation between two men who had experienced a break in connection. One man of Chinese and European descent – let’s call him Chris - shared the pain he experienced growing up in a primarily European community. He shared the

Calling In and Calling Out

In NVC circles, there are several topics that are often raised when someone behaves in a way that’s painful to another person. Discussions come up about the toxicity of shame, about how feedback that’s harsh and judgmental directly counters NVC principles. People dismiss and actively

Renewing the Dream

Using Nonviolent Communication to Answer Dr. King’s Call for Social Change How can nonviolent communication help us return to the powerful vision of social change for which Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. so strongly advocated and for which he died? How can we inspire ourselves to

Unpacking Microaggressions

Where were you born? Q: I just started a new job. When I asked a coworker of Asian descent where they were born, they glared at me and said that was a  microaggression. I was just trying to break the ice and don’t understand why they

NVC – Changing Consciousness, Relationships & Systems

Roxy Manning, with Janey Skinner Nonviolent Communication (NVC) was developed, in part, because its founder, Marshall Rosenberg, was inspired by the work of Mahatma Gandhi, Dr. King and countless others who responded peacefully, yet powerfully, to vast systemic inequities and abuses.   Dr. Rosenberg witnessed the transformative

Why don’t they get it?

Does this seem familiar?  You’re in a meeting. Maybe it’s a workshop around equity and social justice issues, maybe it’s your community group holding a planning meeting for their next event. Pat makes a suggestion, and folks keep talking, ignoring the suggestion, proposing others. When

Tips for these uncertain times

The events that have unfolded since the election continue to stimulate a huge amount of fear in me and those around me. I’ve had many sleepless nights since November, stemming from my children wondering if Trump’s election meant half the country did not like people

Community-Informed Process to Create a BayNVC Ethics Policy

Short version BayNVC is beginning a process of creating an ethics policy for our trainers, facilitators, and coaches. We want to find ways of supporting clarity for ourselves and those we serve about how to engage in relationships that support all involved, recognizing that we are

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