"NVC" comes to Portland
by Debbie Atwood, PAM Associate Director
In the Spring issue of Peace Talk, Peggy Smith of Advancing Teaching
Strategies reported on a workshop she had organized in Belfast called
"Nonviolent Communication". I was lucky enough to be able to attend that
weekend training and was so taken with this philosophy of communicating that
I'm working with Peggy to organize the same event here in Portland.
For those of you who may have missed the Spring article, Marshall
Rosenberg's "Nonviolent Communication" (NVC) is a unique approach to
communicating thinking, speaking and listening which guides us in
transforming painful patterns of relating into new, compassionate ways of
acting, expressing ourselves and hearing others. It was founded on simple
skills which step outside of judgment, criticism, and fear, enabling people
to connect with the needs in themselves and others in ways that inspire a
compassionate response.
NVC's basic premise is that underlying all human actions are needs that
people are seeking to meet, and that understanding and acknowledging these
needs can create a shared basis for connection, cooperation, harmony and
peace. Marshall Rosenberg, Ph.D., developed the NVC model during the 1960s
civil rights era, seeking to provide a means of healing based on empathy,
rather than analysis and judgment.
As the name implies, this approach to communication emphasizes compassion as
the motivation for action, enabling us again and again to experience the joy
of contributing to one another's and our own well-being. In fact, NVC
assists us in recognizing, through experience, that our welfare is
intrinsically linked to the welfare of others.
Peace Action Maine and the Maine Peace Fund are proud to be cosponsors of
this event, along with the University of New England School of Social Work.
It will be held over the weekend of June 24 June 26 in the Ludcke
Auditorium on the Westbrook College Campus of the University of New England,
which is located on Stevens Avenue.
www.une.edu/admissions/pdfs/wccmap.pdf
There will be an introduction on Friday night that is free and open to the
public. The workshop will commence on Saturday and end on Sunday afternoon.
The cost for the workshop is $125; a limited number of scholarships are
available and requests may be made by calling Peggy Smith, Advancing
Teaching Strategies, 789-5299.
I heartily recommend this workshop and this philosophy. I came away with a
great deal of insight into a variety of relationships at home, at work, and
in my community and I hope to continue learning about and practicing NVC.
Please see this page for registration information.
Back to Peace
Talk Index, Summer 2005