We developed a tailor-made trajectory to introduce KSAS employees to the language and culture of nonviolent communication in a concise way.
“Why don’t we learn this at school?” It is a sigh we often hear in nonviolent communication training. Indeed, when I first came into contact with Marshall Rosenberg’s ideas seven years ago, I also had mixed feelings. Happy with the new insights, but also a bit of regret that I hadn’t gotten to know it sooner. Because how different my life could have looked then. That is why we were so convinced of the value of the trajectory for KSAS. Nonviolent communication in a school context? Yes, please.
Internal facilitators
What started as an inspiration webinar around nonviolent communication in the middle of the COVID-19 period grew into a trajectory of three study days spread over a year and a half. We immediately felt a lot of enthusiasm and a hunger to dive even deeper into the language of connection and to integrate it into the collaboration. Two experienced facilitators from Walk Your Talk guided the trajectory, and five enthusiastic volunteers from the schools took on the role of internal facilitator. Together, we set out to practice, explain the practical applicability, and stimulate sustainable integration. If we are to believe the participants—a mix of remedial teachers, board members, and management members—we succeeded well. The sessions proved to be a bullseye.
An and/and story
In the first sessions, we zoomed in on the basic building blocks and principles of nonviolent communication. We also immediately got to work on concrete themes in the field. Difficult messages to and from parents and colleagues, empathy for children’s behavior while simultaneously setting connecting boundaries, and the importance and challenge of self-care. The language of needs and feelings invited us to investigate these themes more deeply and to step into an ‘and/and’ story. In this way, empathy does not have to stand in the way of healthy boundaries, and a connecting ‘no’ can be the start of a new conversation. Also covered: translating one’s own judgments and connecting listening into the deeper message of the other person’s judgment.
Top initiative
The final session brought extra depth and more insight into what is needed to use nonviolent communication sustainably in a school context. We reflected on a culture of collaboration based on safety and equality, with respect for everyone’s role and responsibility. We also looked at how we can give this concrete form. How did I feel as a facilitator afterwards? Grateful and moved. At Walk Your Talk, we have a warm feeling about this initiative, because we believe there is no better place to start with nonviolent communication than in our schools.
