Non-Violent Communication (NVC) can be described as:
A compassionate system of expressing, listening and thinking
A way to connect from the heart
A method for getting everyone’s needs met.
To aikido folks, I sometimes describe it as verbal aikido
I’ve found NVC particularly useful in mediation, teaching and intimate relationships. Others use NVC in health, business and parenting. Alongside Aikido NVC has grown into my second core practice over the last few years and I’m particularly interested in the physical side of NVC. I moderate an aiki-NVC Yahoo Group for those interested in both arts.
As well as sharing as much NVC as I can with my friends I have also bought both my aunt and mother to groups, and introduced it to the dojo I helped start in Ethiopia and Acao Harmonia in Brazil.
Recently I visited a social gathering of the Central Ohio Compassionate Communication (another name for NVC) Group. I’ve visited NVC groups before and they have typically been 8-10 people chatting quietly around a table. Not so this gang! There was music, singing, children playing, cake, cider, a bit of crying and a lot of laughing. In short it was a community party and I enjoyed it immensely, meeting needs for friendship, connection, and sharing. I was happy and hopeful to see an NVC group thriving so. Interestingly NVC seems embedded in the Christian community in Ohio (this meeting was in a church) while in the UK it’s often found in Buddhist groups.
I’ve been thinking about NVC in the light of Paul Linden’s work of late. More on this soon.