Nonviolent Communication: The Basics As I Know and Use Them

What do these statements have in common?You're lazy. That was really selfish. You're not there for me. One just has to. You never listen. Leave me alone.They are expressions of pain. They usually generate more pain. We hear or say them often. They are often signs of impending communication breakdown. Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is specifically designed to help people connect with each other deeply, avoid creating communication pain, and should a connection be disrupted, or that be the starting point, quickly and gently repair it. NVC is a set of concepts and tools that helps people maintain their focus on life enhancing issues - like people's well-being and how to improve it - rather than moralistic opinions concerning right, wrong, who's to blame, or what people should do. Its tools help people remember the important points and critical tasks that tend to inspire compassion, connection, and generosity in their relationships, and help them regain these when they are temporarily lost. And, as the author has experienced many, many times, only one person needs to know these tools.