There are three pillars in NVC
- Empathy - yes, yes, that’s what we talk about here most of the time.
- Honesty - being able to speak truthfully & compassionately based on your needs (and theirs).
- Self-Empathy - which really is at the heart of it all.
In NVC workshops, so many people arrive most interested in learning how to speak up skillfully using NVC Honesty.
Yet to me Self-Empathy is the precursor to Honesty (and everything else in NVC). It involves tracking Feelings and Needs, sure. But it’s also about how you speak to yourself in your mind, how you hold others when you’re thinking about them. Without a solid Self-Empathy practice of some sort, you’ll experience more suffering. And your difficult conversations are more likely to spiral, too.
Enter the intersection of mindfulness and NVC… and a six week series starting in June that I want you to know about.
Wise Speech: An Introduction to Mindful Communication
This is a class for anyone who’s newer to NVC and wants to understand more about mindfulness in the context of NVC.
Drawing upon the Buddha’s teachings on the Noble Eightfold Path, mindfulness and Right Speech, plus the modern disciplines of Nonviolent Communication and trauma healing, the curriculum offers concrete tools to hold your own while still hearing others, and to engage effectively and efficiently in collaboration.
Interested in this class offered by certified NVC trainer, Oren Sofer? Learn more here.
If you’re hoping for more skill and mindfulness in the world, I encourage you to join in. It’s being offered on a donation-basis, so please do check it out.