Wonderful read that reminds me to be careful with words and how feelings relate to them. With a shared language and expectation many interactions can be less fraught.

Please get more copies of this book so people can renew it, and take it out without holds?!

This book taught me the difference between a demand and a request. A demand and a request often sound the same. It is what happens after that differentiates them. If a demand is met with a no, a consequence results. With a request, saying no has no consequences. I find the examples in this book helpful and recommend it to use in personal and professional forums.

This is my all-time favorite book on communication and I highly, highly recommend it. Marshall Rosenberg's work has had such a big impact on my life and relationships. I have purchased this book to give as a gift multiple times. I think his formula of articulating feelings and needs and making requests of others is very effective. I cannot recommend this book highly enough!

I’ve found this book very helpful to deal with conflicts that had me at a complete loss. Most of us grow up without the benefit of training in conflict resolution. Our society is quite judgemental, which the author calls a form of violence. I wouldn’t go that far, but agree that communicating without judgement gets you further. Rosenberg offers a four-step process: describing your observations, sharing your feelings, outlining your unmet needs, and finally sharing a request. It is always a request, never a demand. Demands to apologize merely build resentment. Listening skills are also discussed. Some surprising examples are provided where things might well have escalated but were brought to a peaceful resolution. An excellent sourcebook that can be referred to time and again.

A practical book that helps you master the art of communication: how to understand other’s feelings, intentions and needs and how to handle them. The sample NVC principles outlined in our interaction with others can be applied to our own self and to groups. Thorough extensive use cases and examples, the book provides a clear and concise guide to practice and master NVC (non violent communication).

Start practicing today and you will immediately sense the difference it makes in your daily interactions.

I would like to pick up at the Rosemount location.
Thank you,
Rachel

This book rocked my world! Prior to reading this, I would have said that I was a pretty clear communicator. Now...maybe not! I was so taken by the message and examples that I bought the book so that I can reread it and refer to it.

"Nonviolent Communication" strives to help readers connect with each other in a respectful, non-antagonistic manner. The book progresses smoothly from how to start thinking differently about communicating through to putting the techniques into practice. Real-world conversations serve as examples of the discussed approaches and tie the methods together nicely.

First, Rosenberg challenges readers to distinguish between phrases indicating observation and those indicating evaluation. "He is angry" contains an evaluation; the speaker couldn't know this for sure unless "he" told him/her. On the other hand, the observation, "he yelled at me" could easily lead to the evaluation, "he is angry." Rosenberg posits that the English language often loses this distinction, resulting in hard feelings. Thus, speaking only in terms of observations provides the first key to nonviolent communication; it leads to reflective discussion in which you simply observe what the other person says and repeat it back to him/her indicating your attempt to understand.

Next, Rosenberg focuses on communicating feelings. He points out a general tendency to expressing feelings ambiguously; a phrase such as "I feel stupid" doesn't help the other person understand because stupid is not a feeling. Instead, Rosenberg advocates for taking ownership of feelings, offering the sentence structure of, “I feel ______ because I ________” as a guide to better determine the source of your feelings. Most importantly, only you can control your feelings; no one else can force you to feel anything.

Although some of the book's conversation examples seem scripted and forced, "Nonviolent Communication" does contain a host of sound advice. Ultimately, Rosenberg teaches how to identify the other party's needs and listen empathetically rather than judging. An important lesson for anyone wanting to improve communication skills.

A wonderful book that I came across in my training to work with crime victims and survivors of violence. Something everyone could benefit from, in both personal and professional relationships