A workshop participant once asked Marshall Rosenberg, “There’s so much pain and suffering in the world. Where do you find the energy to keep traveling and teaching?” In response, Marshall said with a characteristically wry smile, “It’s the ‘Giraffe juice’ that keeps me going.” You probably...
In 2006, I was introduced by Jane Connor to a practice which Marshall Rosenberg used, and I witnessed him use it through the years I knew him. He kept a 3”x 6” index card folded in half in his pocket, and “he would pull it...
Marshall Rosenberg began talking about “NVC schools” (aka “giraffe schools”) many years ago, and ever since, people have been asking us, “So, where ARE these NVC schools?” We pause for a deep breath. Because, honestly, we don’t know. We don’t know of any such thing as an...
This message is for those of you who struggle with a two-letter word: “No.” I’ve been in the Just-Trying-to-Say-No club most of my life. I know all too well the challenges of mustering a “no” from these lips when my pulse is rising, my chest contracting, and...
“I love NVC but I always forget to use it in the moments when I most need it.” Over the years I’ve heard variations on this statement from many workshop and practice group participants. A related question I frequently hear is “How do you stay calm...
Dear Friends, Like so many of you, I’m stirred up about this election. I have felt anxious, afraid, sad, hurt. I have been seeking sources of guidance wherever I can. As a Jew, I look to Judaism, particularly what I take as its central message: love...
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...
by Azzam Talhami, Guest Journalist and BayNVC Intern The Sunday morning of the mass shooting in Orlando, I woke up in my apartment in Berkeley, California, and began my ritual prayers in ancient Arabic. I hadn’t yet read the news. I heard the melodies of the...
Thoughts on Making, Keeping & Changing Agreements with Care PRINCIPLE: HOLD EVERYONE’S NEEDS WITH CARE This principle can be a beacon to co-creating meaningful and satisfying agreements. I take it to mean being willing to dig inside to discover what your needs may be in the situation....
Over the years I’ve encountered many people—friends, colleagues, clients—who are put off by the language of Nonviolent Communication (NVC). It’s too jargony, they say. Too artificial. And way too “woo-woo.” And I get it because sometimes I don’t like the vocabulary of NVC either. Because...
A student of mine wrote me, agitated, that she thinks she's about to jump into the abyss. Jumping into the abyss is a major part of what I've been living and teaching for many years now. It is an integral part of what I have come...
Have you noticed how creative people can be? We constantly makeup stories to explain people’s words and actions, rallying our best efforts to make sense of the world. As meaning-making animals, we have elevated story-telling to an art. After retiring from her career, my step-grandmother sewed...