"If I use Nonviolent Communication to liberate people to be less depressed, to get along better with their family, but do not teach them, at the same time, to use their energy to rapidly transform systems in the world, then I am part of the problem. I am essentially calming people down, making them happier to live in the systems as they are, so I am using NVC as a narcotic."

- Marshall Rosenberg, Founder of NVC

This work is Inspired by NVC, so what is it?

Nonviolent Communication is a practice developed by Marshall Rosenberg. It's based on some very simple universal truths:

• everyone has the same basic human needs 
• and everything we do is an attempt to meet a need. 

Connecting to those needs transforms pain, conflict, and violence into connection, acceptance, and empowerment. And consciously choosing our response to these needs can result in radically transforming the way we walk in the world and changing the larger systems we live in. 
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Some Benefits of Practicing NVC are:

• deeper connection
• increased emotional intelligence/literacy
• living more authentically
• improved social skills
• practical ways to “be” in the present moment
• increased self-awareness, self-acceptance, and confidence 
• greater harmony with others and how to promote that harmony
• participate in the nonviolence movement

This Work is Also Based on the Framework Provided by the NGL Community

I am a member of the Nonviolent Global Liberation Community, where I am receiving support to share this work.  The NGL framework is, in my mind, an application of NVC at the group level: 

Clarify Purpose*

Systems are concrete expressions of a group’s sense of itself: what it stands for, what it tries to do, and how it wants to function. The more clarity and shared ownership there is of purpose and values, the more engagement, focus, and effective use of resources are likely to emerge.
You start by engaging as many stakeholders as possible to name and clarify the following elements.

• Vision: where we’re heading – what we want to see in the world over time.
• Purpose: why we do what we do – what inspires us to get up in the morning and do the work.
• Mission: what we do – the nuts and bolts of action, including strategy, goals, objectives, and action steps.
• Values: how we do what we do – what we orient towards to operate with integrity in service to our purpose.
• Theory of Change: why we believe in what we do – the rationale for the mission as a way of accomplishing the purpose.

​*Copied from their website

The 5 NGL Systems*

Operational Systems: supporting the direct activity of getting things done

• Decision Making: Who makes which decisions? Through what process? Who gives input? Who hears about which decisions?
• Resource Flow: What resources exist? How are they generated? How are they distributed? What principles are used to decide the flow? Who makes the decisions?
• Information Flow: What information is shared with whom? What mechanisms are used for sharing it?

Reflective/relationship systems: supporting reflection, learning, adaptation, and increasing capacity over time

• Feedback Loops: Who gives feedback to whom? For what purpose? How? How often? What external feedback mechanisms will support learning about effectiveness in carrying out the mission?
• Conflict Engagement: What support is available? What process is used for engaging with conflict? How can anyone initiate it? How is all that made known to people?

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