Nonviolent Communication
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| International relations |
| Models and theories |
Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is a communication process developed by clinical psychologist Marshall Rosenberg in the 1960s and 1970s based on the principles of nonviolence and humanistic psychology. It aims to increase empathic understanding and reduce conflict in everyday interactions. It foregrounds four components—observation (distinguishing concrete observation from evaluation), feelings, fundamental needs, and requests—and encourages expressing observations and needs without judgment in order to foster voluntary cooperation.
NVC evolved from concepts used in person-centered therapy. Nonviolent Communication is both used as a clinical psychotherapy modality and also offered in workshops for the general public, particularly in regard to seeking harmony in relationships and at workplaces. It can also be applied in daily life to reduce stress. Sometimes, whole communities are founded upon its principles. NVC has been applied in clinical, educational, organisational and community settings and has been the subject of small trials and scoping reviews that report improvements in self-reported empathy and interpersonal outcomes; however, the evidence base is heterogeneous and reviewers have called for larger, longer and more rigorous studies, and for attention to cultural adaptation and trauma-sensitive implementation.
The United Nations Academic Impact (UNAI) organisation has cited nonviolent communication as a means of achieving Article 1 of the UN Charter, i.e. of avoiding war and propagating peace. More specifically, UNAI believes the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) can be achieved more easily by enhancing people's emotional intelligence (EQ) and that NVC is a good method of doing this. It sees NVC as a tool "that guides practitioners in reframing how they express themselves, how to hear others and resolve conflicts by focusing on what they are observing, feeling, needing, and requesting. It is a tool that leads us toward compassionate connection between people in which everyone's needs are valued and are met through collaboration."
NVC is part of the Inner Development Goals (IDGs) Toolkit. The IDGs are intended to complement the UN SDGs by bringing the power of inner development to global challenges faced by humanity; they are an invitation to people to be the change they want to see in the world. PuddleDancer Press reports that NVC has been endorsed by a variety of public figures and best-selling authors, including Anthony Robbins (Awaken the Giant Within), John Gray (Men are From Mars, Women are From Venus), and Deepak Chopra (The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success). There are a large number of workshops and clinical materials about NVC, including Rosenberg's book Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life and a companion workbook. Marshall Rosenberg also taught NVC in a number of video lectures available online; the workshop recorded in San Francisco is the most well-known. The complete series of NVC trainings by Marshall Rosenberg, plus lectures, workshops and interviews with him, are available as a podcast on Spotify. Many workshops are also available on YouTube.