In the summer of 2017, our community gathered for a series of four workshops introducing Nonviolent communication. This framework gives us a different way to navigate challenging conversations – moving us from tendency to cause pain to one of healing. “I have come that you might have life.” Workshops unpacked some of the overlaps between NVC and Jesus’ interactions with people as well.
Our hope is that this framework equips us to better live out our values of Empathy within a Posture of humility, especially in difficult discussions around sexuality, race, politics, etc. In a world that keeps splitting itself time and again, it’s rare to find spaces where people are making efforts to be curious and listen with compassion to our areas of difference.
- Book: Nonviolent Communication by Marshall B. Rosenberg
- Podcast: Gideon Tsang on Pentecost & Nonviolent Communication 06.04.2017: Pentecost Sunday
- Podcast: 06.25.2017: What Do You Want?
Our first workshop introduces the practice of Nonviolent Communication, and walks through several exercises related to identifying our own feelings, and the needs behind them. Please go through each exercise and allow time for practice before session II.
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Unproductive conflict often arises when it seems that our needs and those of others are incompatible. Building on session I’s practice of identifying feelings and needs, this session will cover how to make open requests and attend to needs, both our own and others, with skillful compassion.
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Learning to ask for what we need is often a challenging process for most of us. In this workshop we practice accepting our needs as valid and inviting others to give compassionately as they are free to.
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Nonviolent Communication is an adaptable tool and framework that allows us to engage and process conflicts even if the other individual is not practicing or aware of NVC skills. This session will cover how we can practice deep empathy in conflict resolution by listening for the needs and feelings in what others are communicating to us.
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