MANY YEARS AGO, I was taking a sociology course and we received an odd assignment: At some point in the coming week, during an otherwise routine conversation, we were instructed to do or say something unfamiliar—something outside our comfort zone—and then report back on the
“I said I’m sorry! What else could you possibly want?” Well. Let me tell you… kinda a lot. In my work as a coach, organizational consultant and trainer it hasn’t taken long to see repeat patterns in human relationships. It doesn't matter if it’s a romantic partnership,
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
It can be tricky to give examples of “effective workplace communication,” but let’s start with something we know… We know that we can speak or send words to a co-worker, or group of co-workers, that lead to disconnection, conflict, diminished trust and reduced workplace productivity. This
DURING THIS TIME OF PANDEMIC, it’s so easy to let one day merge into the next, without celebrating our accomplishments or mourning our losses. We’re stressed, we’re exhausted, we’re frustrated and anxious. We long for the ease and comfort of pre-COVID life, which seems very
From a young age, I was taught that all human beings were selfish from birth. This was instilled in me as a boy and later as an adult. This theory of human nature seemed to explain why there was so much violence and evil in
My colleagues and I are just about to complete the last week co-facilitating an 8-week series with POC4NVC on Nonviolent Communication (NVC) for Black Indigenous People of Color (BIPOC). In a debriefing session this week I asked the question: What’s the difference between holding a
When I step back, I still find it hard to believe how intense the last year has been. What an immense range of challenges we as a society and individuals have faced. With spring weather and the increased availability of vaccines in parts of the world,
"Be patient towards all that is unresolved in your heart and learn to love the questions themselves." – Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet Sometimes we may not understand why certain things occur in our lives. Whether we are experiencing tragedy, loss, or
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
In his book entitled Speak Peace in a World of Conflict, Marshall Rosenberg writes: “we need to liberate ourselves from enemy images - the thinking that says there is something wrong with the people whose actions or values we don’t agree with.” In a similar vein, he also
“Nonviolence is not a garment to be put on and off at will, its seat is in the heart and it must be an inseparable part of our very being.” —Mahatma Gandhi 1 The principles of nonviolence that Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King Jr. practiced, modeled, and