Product Description

An enlightening look at how peaceful communication can create compassionate connections with family, friends, and other acquaintances. The book uses stories, examples, and sample dialogues to provide solutions to communication problems both at home and in the workplace. Guidance is provided on identifying and articulating feelings and needs, expressing anger fully, and exploring the power of empathy in order to speak honestly without creating hostility, break patterns of thinking that lead to anger and depression, and communicate compassionately. These non-violent communication skills are fully explained and can be applied to personal, professional, and political differences. Included in this new edition is information on how to compassionately connect with oneself.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #12905 in Books
• Published on: 2003-09-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 222 pages

About the Author
Marshall B Rosenberg PhD is the founder of the Center for Non-Violent Communication, an international non-profit organisation that teaches peacemaking skills. He lives in La Crescenta, California.

Customer Reviews

Not Easy But It Works
If you decide to go on a course to learn nonviolent communication, you are asked to read this book before going on the course - generally a two day foundation course. The request is a clue to the practical nature of this book which is the bible of the nonviolent communication community. Marshall Rosenberg writes simply and plainly and with a very human voice of day to day preoccupations - good relations with children, lovers and parents. It seems simple on first reading but when you begin to try and apply the lessons by yourself or on a course, you begin to understand that while Marshall's promise is improvement and better relations, this does not arrive instantly but with effort and concentration. He is not a prophet promising instant solutions and salvations. Each chapter in the book repays reading and re-reading. The book plays an essential role in an understanding of both the necessity of better communication and of its possibility. Marshall's phrase for the goal we need is 'compassionate connection' - communication with purpose for closer and non-judgemental relationships.

works for me
Of all the books I've read, this is the one I'd say has been most useful to me.
I was intrigued by it's use in war-torn countries - rouanda, somalia, palastine and 'serious' situations like gang wars, prisons and violent encounters: so I thought I might learn something. I really enjoyed the book - it was like getting a flash of insight into a simpler underlying reality that makes a lot of sense to me. The process seems simple, almost trivial (like much deep insight can be) then you try it out and it's frustratingly artificial and hard work. You persist and find it gets easier, more natural. Then it gets harder, and so on. Overall, my experience of working with the book is that it's really valuable in finding ways of working in situations I'd have found too challenging previously. And a lot of hope that it's possible through practice to really deepen the quality of communication, and relation, with people. When we can do that, as he says, the other problems solve themselves. Thats been my experience.

powerful tools for change
Reviewer RJ LAWTON above appears not to have read more than 5 pages into this book! Rosenberg constantly refers to his own emotional reactions, in every chapter, and tells amusing stories of how he himself 'lost it' when first practising the techniques he now presents after 30 yrs perfecting them. Of course he makes it sound easy now, he is the expert in this! but making comments that he is 'emotionless' or 'irritating' just because he doesn't go around punching his critics only proves one of his key points: we need to separate our emotional reactions, which are based on our own needs, from our rationalisations about other people's behaviour! Then we can communicate clearly and openly and honestly and conflicts due to misunderstanding (i.e. 99% of them) can be resolved.
Contrary to the impression given by the above reviewer, NVC is clearly NOT about anything as superficial as 'getting to say what you wish'! but first and foremost about listening - listening to the words and honouring the underlying feelings and needs both of others and oneself. (In fact this often means holding back from saying what one would at first wish.)

This book contains an elegant and simply explained toolkit for better communication between people, which you can apply from day one.