Online practice sessions will meet on specified Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings (Central Standard Time or CST). All practice groups are meeting online until further notice, and are offered by your hosts in Madison, Wisconsin USA. Please join us from wherever you are!
Join Us for Practice
Our various practice groups are listed below. There are groups to support every level of practice, and you are welcome to join us for any and all practice groups that match your needs and experience level.
Join our Zoom meetings using this link. See additional details for instructions on how to join via the Zoom website.
Reminders are sent via email for each practice group meeting. If you would like to be added to our mailing list, or if you have any questions, please contact us. You can also find us on Facebook.
In addition, please check our Calendar page to confirm dates and check for exceptions to our regular schedule, such as holiday breaks.
We also invite you to review our Group Agreements.
Please visit this page often to find the latest details on practice group sessions, including dates and times, handouts, resources, and any advance preparation that may enable you to participate more fully.
About Our Practice Groups
Level 1: Experiencing the heart of NVC
Offered the second and fourth Tuesday and first and third Wednesday of the month, 7–8:30 pm Central Time (CT)
Level 1 practice group is intended for every Nonviolent Communication (NVC) practitioner, regardless of prior experience. These sessions will benefit practitioners at all levels, from beginner to advanced.
If you are new to NVC, you will learn and practice skills that will bring NVC to life. If you are an experienced practitioner, these sessions provide a wonderful opportunity to share your experience with others and deepen your own practice.
We use the book Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg as our text for this study and practice group. We will go through this book chapter by chapter. Although there is much to be gained by studying each chapter in sequence, you are under no obligation to participate each time.
Please note that Level 1 is a pre-requisite to Level 2 for those who are new to our communities of practice. When Level 1 concludes, participants will receive an invitation to join us for Level 2.
Completed Level 1 sessions
Chapter 1 Part 1: Giving from the Heart
- Worksheet Chapter 1 Part 1: Giving from the Heart
- Video of the week, The Basics of Nonviolent Communication 1.2 with Marshall Rosenberg (9:10). Hear about the woman who hates to cook. (Trigger warning: Holocaust reference.)
- Group Agreements
- Chapter 1,”Giving from the Heart,” in Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication.
Chapter 1 Part 2: Giving from the Heart to Self
Chapter 2: Communication That Blocks Compassion
- Worksheet Chapter 2: Communication That Blocks Compassion
- Chapter 2, “Communication That Blocks Compassion,” in Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication.
Chapter 3: Observing without Evaluating
- Worksheet Chapter 3: Making Clear Observations
- Chapter 3, “Observing without Evaluating,” in Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication.
Chapter 4: Identifying and Expressing Feelings
- Worksheet Chapter 4: Sorting Thoughts and Feelings
- Handout Chapter 4: Thoughts Disguised as Feelings
- Chapter 4, “Identifying and Expressing Feelings,” in Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication.
Chapter 5: Taking Responsibility for Our Feelings
- Worksheet Chapter 5: What Is Needed Here
- Chapter 5, “Taking Responsibility for Our Feelings” in Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication.
Chapter 6, Part 1: Requesting That Which Would Enrich Life
- Worksheet Chapter 6 Part 1: The Three-Step or Four-Step Request
- Chapter 6, Chapter 6, “Requesting That Which Would Enrich Life” in Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication.
Chapter 6, Part 2: Requesting That Which Would Enrich Life
- Worksheet Chap 6 Pt 2: Request or Demand and Four-Step Request
- Chapter 6, “Requesting That Which Would Enrich Life” in Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication.
Chapter 6, Part 3: Requesting That Which Would Enrich Life
- Worksheet Chap 6 Pt 3: Mourning When You Get a “No”
- Video of the week: The Toilet Seat Argument
Chapter 7: Receiving Empathically
- Worksheet Chap 7: Would You Listen?
- Video of the week: Why Empathy?
- Chapter 7, “Receiving Empathically” in Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication
Chapter 8: The Power of Empathy
- Worksheet Chap 8: Witnessing with Presence
- Chapter 8, “The Power of Empathy” in Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication
Chapter 9, Part 1: Connecting Compassionately with Ourselves
- Worksheet Chap 9 Pt 1: Mourning and Self-Forgiveness
- Chapter 9, “Connecting Compassionately with Ourselves” in Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication
Chapter 9, Part 2: Connecting Compassionately with Ourselves
- Worksheet Chap 9 Pt 2: Have To vs. Choose To
- Chapter 9, “Connecting Compassionately with Ourselves” in Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication.
Chapter 10: Expressing Anger Fully
- Worksheet Chap 10: Welcoming the Jackals
- Chapter 10, “Expressing Anger Fully” in Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication.
Chapter 11 or 12: The Protective Use of Force
- Worksheet Chap 11 or 12: Protective Use of Force
- Chapter 11 or 12, “The Protective Use of Force” in Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication.
Chapter 12 or 13: Liberating Ourselves and Counseling Others, Part 1
- Worksheet Chap 12 or 13: Where Do I Put My Attention: Life or Pain?
- Chapter 12 or 13, “Liberating Ourselves and Counseling Others” in Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication.
Chapter 12 or 13: Liberating Ourselves and Counseling Others, Part 2
- Worksheet Chap 12 or 13: Where Do I Put My Attention: Life or Pain?
- Chapter 12 or 13, “Liberating Ourselves and Counseling Others” in Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication.
Upcoming Level 1 sessions
Preparation note: In most sessions, we will use the Feelings and Needs chart in our practice. Please have this chart handy. If you have “Grok Cards” from Grok the World, feel free to use those instead.
Chapter 13 or 14: Expressing Appreciation in Nonviolent Communication
Wednesday, August 7 & Tuesday, August 13, 7–8:30 pm Central Time (CT)
- Use this Zoom link or join us via the Zoom website
- Print or have ready: Worksheet Chap 13 or 14: Expressing and Receiving Gratitude
- Read: Chapter 13 or 14, “Expressing Appreciation in Nonviolent Communication” in Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication. Please join us even if you do not have time to read the chapter.
Level 2: Moving from doing NVC to being NVC
We have ended our Level 2 practice group due to low participation. Those who have completed Level 1 are welcome to join our Continuing Conscious Communications Community of Practice. The Continuing Group practice sessions do not follow a set curriculum or use a single text. We may choose to explore a key concept together, or we may engage in a practice suggested by a group member. If you would like to participate in our Continuing Practice Group, please contact us for more details and to be added to the mailing list.
Many people also find it beneficial to repeat Level 1 or drop in on Level 1 practice from time to time. NVC is a lifelong practice, and there is always more to learn.
Please feel free to use the Level 2 handouts below to practice on your own or with an NVC buddy. Thanks for your support as we continue to explore what works best for our practice community.
Continuing Conscious Communication Community of Practice
Offered the second and fourth Wednesday of the month, 7–8:30 pm Central Time (CT)
Meets second Wednesdays in person at Friends Meeting House, Madison WI
Meets fourth Wednesdays online via Zoom
This practice group is intended for experienced practitioners who have completed at least a year of NVC practice with a group or the equivalent. We assume knowledge of the basic principles, steps and parts of NVC, as well as practice applying these in your own life.
Unlike Level 1 and Level 2 practice groups, these sessions do not follow a set curriculum or follow a single text. We may choose to explore a key concept together, or we may engage in a practice suggested by a group member.
If you would like to participate in our Continuing Practice Group, please contact us for more details and to be added to the mailing list.
Practice Groups Based Elsewhere
The Center for Nonviolent Communication provides of list of practice groups that are practicing Marshall Rosenberg’s principles of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) throughout the world.
How to Join Us Using Zoom
Ways to join:
- Click on: Join Zoom Meeting
- Click on: http://zoom.us
Meeting ID: 821 8008 4155
Passcode: lovenvc (all lower case letters)
Sign in early (at 6:45 pm) to familiarize yourself with the basic functions of Zoom. You may have to download Zoom in order to enter the meeting. If the “join meeting” button doesn’t work, look below it for a link to download.