"The objective of Nonviolent Communication is not to change people and their behavior in order to get our way: it is to establish relationships based on honesty and empathy, which will eventually fulfill everyone's needs."
- Marshall Rosenberg
Communicating effectively, connecting with your needs and listening with empathy
What is Nonviolent Communication?
What is Nonviolent Communication? The term “Nonviolent” refers to the concept of Nonviolence or Ahimsa, which represents the ethical principle of not harming ourselves, others, or the world under any circumstances. The terms “Connecting Communication” or “Compassionate Communication” are also sometimes used to describe how we do this: by connecting with our own and others’ feelings and needs.
“Nonviolent communication? Do you really need that?” is a reaction you sometimes get when you tell someone you’ve taken a nonviolent communication training course. Yet, everyone knows that nagging feeling you’re left with after a disagreement with a colleague or when you feel like your partner, friend, or family member doesn’t understand or truly listen. Burnout and divorce rates are higher than ever, and many people are concerned about social media abuse, short fuses, and increasing polarization in society.
How does Nonviolent Communication work?
The Nonviolent Communication model, developed by American psychologist Dr. Marshall Rosenberg (1934-2015), helps you develop a way of listening and communicating that focuses on feelings and needs rather than judgments and accusations. This isn’t a passive, complicated, soft, or avoidant way of communicating. It’s about actively setting boundaries, creating clarity, allowing yourself to be yourself, stopping to be nice, and giving space to your emotions. Nonviolent communication is about connecting with yourself and others and being able to see each other’s humanity. It’s not about changing, manipulating, or convincing anyone. It focuses on acknowledging differences, seeing similarities, and developing strategies that work for everyone.
What are the benefits of Nonviolent Communication training?
In our Nonviolent Communication training courses, you’ll learn how to manage emotions during conversations and truly connect with your conversation partner. You’ll learn to recognize your own feelings and needs, express requests clearly and objectively, while also remaining open to what the other person has to say. The training courses are practical and include many exercises and everyday examples so you can immediately experience the positive impact Nonviolent Communication can have on your personal and professional life. Practicing Nonviolent Communication will give you the following:
- Clarity about your own needs
- Creative solutions to problems
- Being able to indicate boundaries
- Better able to deal with criticism and accusations
- More relaxation during conversations
- Being able to express yourself effectively in difficult situations
- Meaningful contact with others
- Less hassle, and therefore more time and energy for other things
Our Nonviolent Communication trainings
The Equanimity team consists of several certified trainers and offers training for both individuals (open enrollment) and customized training for organizations and companies, as well as specialized professional groups such as (para)edics or employees in the performing arts.
Trainings for individuals
For English speakers Equanimity offers an Introduction training Nonviolent communication in Amsterdam and online.
For Dutch speakers we have a more extended year program. Please proceed to the Dutch website for more information.
InCompany / team training
Do you ever wonder how to deal with that dominant manager, that stubborn colleague and how to ensure that your boundaries are not crossed? Would you like to learn how to stay in connection when things get tough?
Research into effective teams shows that it’s not the teams with the smartest or most experienced people that perform best, but rather those whose members truly see and hear each other and dare to be themselves. This fosters trust, innovation, and creativity. Connecting communication is a key factor in creating such a work environment.
Want to know more? Read more here about our Nonviolent Communication trainings , and learn more about our custom team sessions here. Or contact Boris Nauta (boris@equanimity.nu / +31 (0)6-39422005).
Training in the Performing Arts
Equanimity is a preferred supplier of the Netherlands Association for Performing Arts (NAPK). Therefore, its members can participate in our Nonviolent communication courses at a reduced rate. Read more about the options on this page. We also offer InCompany trainings for teams and organizations for reduced rate.
Training for (para)medical professionals
How do you, as a resident, general practitioner, specialist, or physician assistant, maintain effective communication with yourself, colleagues, and clients while working in a challenging environment? How do you constructively manage conflicting interests? Boris Nauta, along with Elles Bindels, physician, trainer, and professional mentor for (para)medics, leads this two-day accredited training course for physicians. Click here for more information.
Nonviolent Communication articles and more
Blog on emotional, social and systems intelligence and NVCPsychological safety is about taking relational responsibility.
Everywhere where healthcare professionals want to contribute to health, being open to one another’s perspectives and experiences is essential. In this regard we need one another. This requires us to take relational responsibility, argues trainer/coach for medical professionals Elles Bindels.Read more
The Third Harmony: towards a new world view through nonviolence
We live in a time fraught with challenges: climate change, war, polarisation and declining trust in institutions. We often treat these problems as issues that each require their own solution. But what if they all stem from the same narrative we tell ourselves about who we are and how the world works?Read more
Psychological safety in teams
In almost every team, there are differences of opinion and insight, doubts about a decision, different perspectives, or a feeling that a different or better solution is possible. Whether or not we speak up in the workplace says a lot about a team's culture. Do we feel that our input is welcome, or does it…Read more
Nonviolence as ‘the third way’
In this article, I explore the meaning of nonviolence as “the third way”. Inspired by the work of Marshall Rosenberg, Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, and Walter Wink, we look at nonviolence as a way to actively stand up for justice without giving up on the humanity of the other.Read more
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