A map for compassionate communication

What if conflict didn't have to be something to resolve or win — but something we could learn to navigate?

Directly to the registration form.

Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is, for me, really about learning not to force.

Not forcing ourselves to be different from how we are.

Not forcing another person to understand, agree or change.

And not giving up on what matters to us either.

It is really about meeting live - in you, in me and in the world around and in between us.

This workshop offers a simple map for exploring what becomes possible when we approach conflict and relationships from that place.

We’ll begin by looking at the three places we can be in — and move in between — in any dialogue:

• Expressing ourselves authentically

• Listening to another person

• Connecting with what is alive in ourselves

Through a short guided meditation and an empathic listening exercise, you’ll get to experience these places directly — and explore what it can mean to be genuinely present rather than trying to perform, explain, fix or control.

From there, we’ll introduce the four steps of NVC as a map for navigating conflict:

Observation — separating what actually happened from interpretations, judgements and labels, creating a shared starting point for dialogue.

Feeling — turning towards our embodied emotional experience and allowing vulnerability to reveal what is alive in us.

Need — connecting with the deeper human qualities and values underneath our feelings, opening up possibilities beyond one fixed solution.

Request — translating those needs into concrete action or connection while preserving everyone's freedom to say yes or no.

The four steps are not meant as a mechanical formula for “communicating correctly”. They are a map — something that can help us find our way from judgement, blame and conflict towards more understanding, choice and collaboration.

A central theme is the distinction between needs and strategies: when we connect with the deeper need underneath a conflict, we can become more creative about how it might be met. The workshop also explores the difference between a request and a demand, and what it means to genuinely leave another person free to say no

This workshop is primarily a space to understand and explore the map. There is only a little practice, leaving plenty of room for explanation, reflection and questions. You don't need any previous experience with NVC — just curiosity about communication, relationships and what might become possible when we stop trying to force things.

We’ll close with an overview of the map, and an open space for questions and discussion on how to bring it into real relationships and conflicts.

Practical information

• When: Thursday, 15th of October, 19:00 - 21:00 CET After 21:00: The call stays open for optional Q&A and an open discussion

• Where: online — link after registration

• Language: Theory in English; practice and group sharing in English or German

• Price: 10-30€ | suggested 20€ — if money is an issue that would prevent you from participating joyfully, please come anyway and let me know about your favourite way of contributing in the registration form below.

• Registration: Please fill in this Form. You'll receive a link to our meeting afterwards.

You can come simply to explore the ideas.

And if you feel like going further, this workshop can also be a first taste of the more experiential practice we’ll explore together in the full NVC course.