The Center for Nonviolent Communication offers a simple explanation of NVC:
“Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is sometimes referred to as compassionate communication. Its purpose is to:
♦ Create human connections that empower compassionate giving and receiving.
♦ Create governmental and corporate structures that support compassionate giving and receiving.
NVC offers clear and specific communication skills that foster compassionate relating and consciousness of our interdependence with others. Applying these skills generates power with others to work together to meet the needs of everyone involved.
This approach to communication emphasizes compassion as the motivation for action rather than fear, guilt, shame, blame, coercion, threat or justification for punishment. In other words, it is about getting what you want for reasons you will not regret later. NVC is NOT about getting people to do what we want. It is about creating a quality of connection that gets everyone’s needs met through compassionate giving…”