6 ms·

I've read "Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life" and found it helpful in personal & work communication. I _hate_ the name, though. I don't want to sugg

I've read "Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life" and found it helpful in personal & work communication. I _hate_ the name, though. I don't want to suggest to someone that they read about non-violent communication because that suggests they're being violent when they're not. I'd prefer almost any other name. Some better names: "observational communication", "non-judgmental communication", "empathetic communication", "structured communication". I could keep going...

abledon 7y ago
If only she had consulted some marketing people before publishing the book! It might've been accepted by a larger audience.
- acqq 7y ago
  She? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Rosenberg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Rosenberg https://www.amazon.com/Marshall-B-Rosenberg/e/B000APJPFG/ https://www.amazon.com/Marshall-B-Rosenberg/e/B000APJPFG/
  - abledon 7y ago
    ah i thought i read marsha lol
aeternum 7y ago
I completely agree. For a book that stresses the importance of non-judgmental understanding, the name makes it awfully hard to recommend to someone without coming across as being quite judgmental.
donw 7y ago
Agreed. It is hugely ironic that the title of the book does seem to translate to "How to stop being a violent jerk." A standard joke of mine when I recommend the book to others that the sequel, "Violent Communication", hasn't yet received much traction in the corporate sphere outside of Comcast's strategic planning department. I like "Empathic Communication". Nice one.
bakul 7y ago
It's also known as Compassionate Communication.
microcolonel 7y ago
Indeed, the name was immediately off-putting to me.
nadavr 7y ago
Fascinating, and I totally hear that. For me, the name is part of what drew me to it in the first place -- the framing that there is a "violence" even in the normal day to day interactions we are all used to was a bit of an "aha!" moment for me that provided hope for something better.
mef51 7y ago
The author Marshall Rosenburg has also expressed the same feelings about the name and 'compassionate communication' is another way they refer to nvc
ianai 7y ago
Consider the source though. It’s from another time where racism was much more rampant and India was much further into its traditional ways. Lynchings were not a distant memory.
TheSpiceIsLife 7y ago
I like Fred Kofman’s Verbal Aikido. https://youtu.be/O6N9nvk8bvE https://youtu.be/O6N9nvk8bvE
waterhouse 7y ago
My brain generated "nonvolatile communication", which fits the acronym.
wjnc 7y ago
It's a child of the 60s and with all that was going on quite fitting in that timeframe. Since then it's been corporized with trainers worldwide going for certifications to be allowed to use the name. (Another sign of the time, this time more modern.) They won't change it due to their organizational structure. It's sort of like a brand office with a lot of freelancers on the side. What further strengthens this is that they seem to think Marshall Rosenberg is a hero and he is still alive. I actually love NVC, went to several trainings where I was quite the outlier and had to swallow twice before asking my firm to pay for it. A more corporate branding would be benificial for my part of the market. Less qualitative (imho) communication theories get pushed by corporations I've worked at, but the main selling point is that these courses are integrated. You get a slick trainer or two, they use actors for sessions, they have shiny branded materials, perhaps a website for a brush up training afterwards. NVC as far as I've seen it appeals to those with a less corporate affiliation, works with books external to the course (a lot of them) which might feel to an outsider like some quasi-scientific appeal and with themes that seem childish. I had no problem with the giraffe once I understood it, but no corporate trainer has ever tried to have me wear giraffes ears in front of my co-workers. It feels like good content, scientology method.

abledon 7y ago

If only she had consulted some marketing people before publishing the book! It might've been accepted by a larger audience.

acqq 7y ago
She? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Rosenberg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marshall_Rosenberg https://www.amazon.com/Marshall-B-Rosenberg/e/B000APJPFG/ https://www.amazon.com/Marshall-B-Rosenberg/e/B000APJPFG/
- abledon 7y ago
  ah i thought i read marsha lol

aeternum 7y ago

I completely agree. For a book that stresses the importance of non-judgmental understanding, the name makes it awfully hard to recommend to someone without coming across as being quite judgmental.

donw 7y ago

Agreed. It is hugely ironic that the title of the book does seem to translate to "How to stop being a violent jerk." A standard joke of mine when I recommend the book to others that the sequel, "Violent Communication", hasn't yet received much traction in the corporate sphere outside of Comcast's strategic planning department. I like "Empathic Communication". Nice one.

bakul 7y ago

It's also known as Compassionate Communication.

microcolonel 7y ago

Indeed, the name was immediately off-putting to me.

nadavr 7y ago

Fascinating, and I totally hear that. For me, the name is part of what drew me to it in the first place -- the framing that there is a "violence" even in the normal day to day interactions we are all used to was a bit of an "aha!" moment for me that provided hope for something better.

mef51 7y ago

The author Marshall Rosenburg has also expressed the same feelings about the name and 'compassionate communication' is another way they refer to nvc

ianai 7y ago

Consider the source though. It’s from another time where racism was much more rampant and India was much further into its traditional ways. Lynchings were not a distant memory.

TheSpiceIsLife 7y ago

I like Fred Kofman’s Verbal Aikido. https://youtu.be/O6N9nvk8bvE https://youtu.be/O6N9nvk8bvE

waterhouse 7y ago

My brain generated "nonvolatile communication", which fits the acronym.

wjnc 7y ago

It's a child of the 60s and with all that was going on quite fitting in that timeframe. Since then it's been corporized with trainers worldwide going for certifications to be allowed to use the name. (Another sign of the time, this time more modern.) They won't change it due to their organizational structure. It's sort of like a brand office with a lot of freelancers on the side. What further strengthens this is that they seem to think Marshall Rosenberg is a hero and he is still alive. I actually love NVC, went to several trainings where I was quite the outlier and had to swallow twice before asking my firm to pay for it. A more corporate branding would be benificial for my part of the market. Less qualitative (imho) communication theories get pushed by corporations I've worked at, but the main selling point is that these courses are integrated. You get a slick trainer or two, they use actors for sessions, they have shiny branded materials, perhaps a website for a brush up training afterwards. NVC as far as I've seen it appeals to those with a less corporate affiliation, works with books external to the course (a lot of them) which might feel to an outsider like some quasi-scientific appeal and with themes that seem childish. I had no problem with the giraffe once I understood it, but no corporate trainer has ever tried to have me wear giraffes ears in front of my co-workers. It feels like good content, scientology method.