NVC Training and Development
Developed by clinical psychologist Dr Marshall B. Rosenberg, Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is a process of communication that has relationality at its heart.
It holds that compassion and authenticity can absolutely be combined - indeed need to be if we are to have healthier relationships. It helps us have better, more productive arguments and helps us get back to connection quicker when things get tough.
It can support you to get better at speaking up, relating to people who appear different and building resilience in the face of conflict.
This page is designed to help you navigate the many learning pathways available depending on what skills you have already, where you live, how much you want to do in person or online and of course, where you want to get to.
Please choose the section most relevant to you below
Building the foundations
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What is NVC?
Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is a process of communication that can be compassionate yet fierce - staying truly authentic to our deepest values.
It was developed by psychologist Dr Marshall B. Rosenberg.
It can support you to get better at speaking up, relating to people who appear different to yourself and building resilience in the face of conflict. It is a tool for personal development, relating to others and a vision for a much more inspiring and fun world to live in.
At its simplest, it is a four step communication process; in its fullest lived consciousness, it is a path for creating the more beautiful world we all want to live in.
The four steps/skills of NVC are
Differentiating observations from evaluations
Connecting to your felt feelings
Connecting to your needs
and making clear requests
and then, transforming your evaluations, guessing the feelings and needs of others and receiving their requests
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First steps to learning
If you have read a book or watched a video about Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and would like to begin truly learning and practising it, you can join an in-person or online Foundation Training of at least 12 hours whenever possible.
These trainings are sometimes offered over two full days and sometimes spread across several weeks. Either way, they cover the foundational skills of NVC: Observations, Feelings, Needs, and Requests and the key practises.
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What does a Foundation Training teach me?
Although each NVC trainer teaches from their own unique perspective, in general you will find that Foundation Trainings give you theoretical and experiential knowledge of the following as the core NVC skills
- The four elements of NVC | observations, feelings, needs and requests - and how each of those elements can shift you from focussing on who is right and who is wrong and help you express your needs in a way more likely to inspire others to give to you.
- NVC empathy and self-empathy | these are core skills needed to truly shift from blaming yourself or blaming the other. As you learn them you realise that you don't need to give up on your needs to listen. They also help you accept that you have needs and that they matter and that there is nothing 'selfish' about this as long as those needs are not imposed on another.
- Honest NVC expression | Learning to speak up for what you need or how someone else's words have impacted you without it spiralling into a full on argument is nother core skill that we learn on an NVC foundation training
They are usually 12 hours long spread over two days or a number of weekly classes
You can find current foundation trainings listed on our events page here
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Connecting with other learners
Some ways you could find other NVC learners in your area
- Reach out to a local trainer/facilitator listed here and ask them for support
- Join a Facebook group (search for NVC and your region)
- Set up a peer-led practice group and let others know through our Practice Group page and/or via social media
- Offer to show an NVC film by Marshall Rosenberg and invite your friends to watch it to inspire others to join your enthusiasm
- If you have no NVC trainers in your area, ask one who lives further afield to come and offer a training in your area and help them market it/ invite others to join
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Resources
Feelings and Needs Card sets | NVC Matters sells playing cards to help you develop your feelings and needs literacy. You can find them in our online shop. They can be used in practice groups or with children and can be used to make feelings and needs guesses. They can also be used alone. We have a free downloadable resource suggesting nine ways they can be used alone. You can purchase the cards here
Feelings and Needs lists | If you prefer all your feelings and needs listed on one or two pages, you will easily find these available for free on the internet
Other resources | The global organisation CNVC sells a variety of NVC products: books, games and other resources. Not all of them may be available to the UK but many will be. You can find them here(opens in new tab)
Videos | You can search on Youtube and find many videos teaching NVC including original ones from Marshall Rosenberg, the founder of NVC
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Trainings and events for building the foundations
Building blocks for deepening practice
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Ways to deepen your learning
Once you have been inspired by NVC and done a Foundation Training, most people realise that these skills take practice. We suggest that you look for as many opportunities as possible to do this.
- Practice Groups | Find or create your own peer-led NVC Practice group. We have a resource available to all members to guide you though setting up a practice group. If you would like to become a Supporter Member to both access this resource and advertise your group on our website, you can find out more here
- Listening Hour | On a Sunday anyone can join a peer-supported online hour for both receiving and giving empathy. You can find out more here
- Residentials | There are usually a number of residential NVC offerings in the UK throughout the year. These take the form of family camps where you can bring your children, retreats, trainings etc. They are listed on our events page
- Intermediate workshops | Please click on the intermediate link below to find out more or go to the events page and filter for >event level >intermediate/advanced
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Finding others to practice NVC with
There is no getting away from it, practice involves others!
We need others to inspire, support, help us feel less alone, help us trust that a different way really is possible and give us empathy for all the challenges of being a human being in a volatile, traumatised world.
We suggest you look for opportunities to connect with others whether that be online or in person.
Here are some ways you can consider:
- You could look to join or set up a practice group (as a Supporter Member you can access a guide to setting up your own practice group)
- Take part in The Listening Hour (a free Sunday online peer-led empathy group)
- do as many Level 2 / Deepening workshops as you can
- Take yourself (and your family) to an NVC camp in this country or abroad
- Look out for NVC community days listed on our events page
- Find an empathy buddy and meet and practice regularly
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How to find intermediate trainings and workshops
For intermediate workshops, camps, residentials and events:
On the events page, you can filter by
Event level >intermediate/advanced
Event type >camps | >gatherings/community | >residential/retreat | >training
as well as by region or whether you want in person or online
Developing leadership and teaching skills
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Becoming a CNVC certified NVC Trainer
Becoming a Certified Trainer usually takes about 3-5 years and can be a very rewarding journey.
You will find this process quite different from most traditional training programs and there can be much support available from the global NVC community along the way.
If finances appear to be a barrier, we suggest that you don't let that put you off taking the first steps. Reach out and talk to CNVC abut your desires and see if there can be creative ways to work with your particular passions and circumstances.
Useful links
- We recommend you check out CNVC's dedicated page on certification (opens in new tab)
- (opens in new tab)You can also find information specifically about NVC certification within the EU here(opens in new tab)
Some of the benefits of becoming a Certified NVC Trainer with CNVC
- You have the satisfaction of achieving a very high level of NVC skills and having this achievement officially recognised by your peers and the Center for Nonviolent Communication.
- You join a worldwide community of people who support one another and share their knowledge and experiences.
- Wherever in the world you choose to hold training events, you can publicise them by listing them on the website of the Center for Nonviolent Communication.
- You can freely use the terms 'NVC Trainer' and "Nonviolent Communication" in your publicity (people who are not certified are requested not to use these terms)
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Becoming an independently trained NVC Sharer
If you are unable to embark on the CNVC certification process for whatever reasons, it doesn't mean you can't share your enthusiasm for NVC with others. There are many ways to do this such as
- Role-modelling NVC consciousness within your family, workplace or community
- Teaching elements of NVC (for example the concept of needs or how to make a good request) in your other work such as coaching or teaching
- Developing your NVC skills independently and starting to teach NVC. CNVC have a page outlining their requests for people who want to share NVC without becoming certified here(opens in new tab).
- Working towards gathering the training hours etc to become a Facilitator member of this website. You can see what we require for you to do that on our Join Us page here
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How do Facilitators share and teach NVC?
NVC Trainers and sharers offer their work in many ways.
- In schools to parents, teachers and students
- In organisations
- In spiritual and religious groups
- In their communities
- As mediators
- With couples and famiies
- Offering conflict support
- offering trainings to the general public
- Running NVC camps and gatherings
- In the NHS
- In charities
Money
Most facilitators and trainers do their best to balance their needs to support themself and their families and their clients' needs to have access to this work in an affordable way. There are different creative ways to do this eg sliding scales, gift economy, being open to dialogue, getting grant funding etc.
Some facilitators make this their full time vocation; some earn their full living doing this work, others have alternative financial means alongside it. And some integrate this work into what they do already (eg counselling, mediation, coaching, teaching)
There are many creative ways to cover your living expenses and learning NVC helps you tap into your own creativity to find ways to make this work for you.
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Videos showing NVC used in schools and businesses
In Schools
Here is an inspiring video(opens in new tab) showing how NVC is used in a school in Denmark.
We hear a preschool teacher talk about her experience with NVC and how it has changed the social environment in the classroom. We are also introduced to a conflict between two preschool children.
In the workplace
Here is a short video(opens in new tab) showing how NVC was taught to the staff in a hotel in Costa Rica
More to come...
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NVC Leadership in the workplace
Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is about creating resilient relationships and a world where all needs matter. It is used, across the globe, to bring about change in families, communities, small businesses and organisations.
Whether you are an employer, employee, a student, teacher or part of a community group, NVC can support you to work together more effectively. These changes can be at a seemingly small level, for example, helping people find their voice and be heard - right up to radical new ways of organising for a complete systemic change.
If you would like to get help finding an NVC trainer or facilitator to with your organisation or charity, please contact us