What People Are Saying About Nonviolent Communication
“Nonviolent Communication is hands-down one of the best books I’ve read as a business owner, as well as a husband and father. This book is not a new title, but for me, it does much better than other books at unveiling key principles and practices of exceptional communication. It’s also the first book Satya Nadella asked his leadership team to read, which is meaningful.”
“One of the books I first recommended that everyone read, when I first got on, was Nonviolent Communication, which used to be able to say, look, let us make sure we are empathetic to each other’s needs, because it requires that.”
“If empathy as a measure of emotional IQ is a predictor of success, then Nadella hit the nail on the head by inculcating the corporate giant with the trait from top to bottom. Why else is empathy important? Microsoft is both a services and a product company, and its offerings have to resonate with users. Nadella states: “You have to be able to say, ‘Where is this person coming from? What makes them tick? Why are they excited or frustrated by something that is happening, whether it’s about computing or beyond computing?’”
“I got to this book thanks to a recommendation by Satya Nadella (CEO of Microsoft). The book presents a simple technique and examples to empathize and connect with people’s feelings. Instead of judging people by the message, the book helps you understand the needs behind and what feelings and emotions are driving them. Highly recommended.”
“I love this book and have recommended it to several of my coworkers. A mentor recommended the book to me when I was having trouble giving direct feedback to people that I supervise without hurting their feelings. This book helped me to remove the judgment from my message and focus on the desired outcome. It’s a relatively quick read and I can easily refer back to it when preparing for a tough conversation.”
“This book was a life changer for me as I struggled in a dysfunctional workplace. It provided the skills I needed to gain respect and be able to work at my desired level of productivity. I highly recommend it for anyone who must work and live with others.”
“Nonviolent Communication can change the world. More importantly, it can change your life. I cannot recommend it highly enough.”
“In this book, you will find an amazingly effective language for saying what’s on your mind and in your heart. Like so many essential and elegant systems, it’s simple on the surface, challenging to use in the heat of the moment, and powerful in its results.”
“Dr. Rosenberg has brought the simplicity of successful communication into the foreground. No matter what issue you’re facing, his strategies for communicating with others will set you up to win every time.”
“A way for people to speak in ways that foster greater connection, understanding, compassion. It is applicable to all areas of life: how we communicate with others in intimate partnerships, business, international relations, and also how we are with ourselves—are we our own best friend or are we beating ourselves up. Learning and practicing this process has enriched my life in myriad ways.”
“Amazing. Empathy, active listening, compassion. This book will help you to raise the quality of your life, relationships with your colleagues, friends, family.”
“I have found it to probably be the single most helpful book I have read in my life, and I have probably reread it ten times.”
“I have never read a clearer, more straightforward, insightful book on communication. Amazingly easy to read, great examples, and challenging to put into practice—this book is a true gift to all of us.”
“NVC is the language of enlightenment. So simple yet so difficult. Using NVC can change your life, bring clarity to your thinking, and transform relationships.”
“If you want to be heard, and to hear what your loved ones are truly saying behind what they’re saying, read this book! It will change your life.”
“Nonviolent Communication is one of the most useful processes you will ever learn.”
“You’ll learn simple tools to defuse arguments and create compassionate connections with your family, friends, and other acquaintances.”
“It’s a way to step out of the ‘who’s right, who’s wrong?’ conflict paradigm, and instead, to realize that people are always acting in a way to attempt to get their needs met. No one is wrong; it’s just a matter of finding strategies to meet each other’s needs.”
“Like Noam Chomsky, Rosenberg’s work is intrinsically radical, it subverts our whole status-quo system of power: between children and adults, the sane and the psychotic, the criminal and the law. Rosenberg’s distinction between punitive and protective force should be required reading for anyone making foreign policy or policing our streets.”
“In our present age of uncivil discourse and mean-spirited demagoguery, the principles and practices of Nonviolent Communication are as timely as they are necessary to the peaceful resolution of conflicts, personal or public, domestic or international.”
“Rosenberg describes how, in numerous conflicts, once ‘enemies’ have been able to hear each other’s needs, they are able to connect compassionately and find new solutions to previously ‘impossible’ impasses. If you want to learn ways of more skillful speech I highly recommend this clear, easy-to-read book.”
“The best book I have read without a doubt. I have used all of the concepts covered in the book in my family violence intervention program and anger management classes. The people in class have loved the days we go over these ideas. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to find a healthier way to communicate and connect with other.”
“Emotions typically run high in conflict situations and when people don’t have the language to articulate their feelings and what fuels them with accuracy and precision, which they often don’t, it’s like being on a stormy sea with no one at the helm; people get tossed about on the waves, sails get ripped and the relationship runs aground in a hurtful place that is a long shot from where it might have landed.”
“Through compelling, real life examples, Rosenberg brings the NVC process to life. My college students, especially the older ones, share with me that reading this book has changed their lives. Trying to practice the steps myself in daily interactions, at meetings, and in the classroom, has also had a powerful effect on me.”
“This book should be required reading in high school or college. The skill set of speaking our true needs taught in this book is priceless and practical. It is a must read.”
“Marshall Rosenberg provides us with the most effective tools to foster health and relationships. Nonviolent Communication connects soul to soul, creating a lot of healing. It is the missing element in what we do.”
“Thought it was going to be a book on dealing with others, however the other surprise was on how it gave me the ability to see how I communicate with myself . . . all the self-talk that goes on within. Now I am kinder and more understanding to me which means . . . yes, I’m kinder and more understanding with others!”
“Nonviolent Communication is THE premiere how-to guide for improving your performance at doing empathy, which is one of the fundamental competencies of Emotional Intelligence.”
“I enjoyed this chapter because it helped me translate my self-judgments into statements of my own unmet needs. I now see that when I am angry with myself it is because my actions were not in harmony with my values. Seeing things from this perspective helps me mourn my action and move into self-forgiveness by connecting with the specific need I was trying to meet when I used a strategy that I now regret.”
“This book has changed my life! What changed most was how I treat myself. Thank you Marshall!”
“In addition to saving our marriage, Nonviolent Communication is helping us repair our relationships with our grown children and to relate more deeply with our parents and siblings.”
“I spent forty years of my life trying to receive empathy from my dad. After only reading half of this book, I was able to express myself in a way that he was able to finally hear me and give me what I needed. It was a gift beyond words.”
“This book is essential reading for anyone seeking to end the unfulfilling cycles of argument in their relationship, and for parents who wish to influence their children’s behavior by engendering compassion rather than simply achieving obedience.”
“Nonviolent Communication allowed me to overcome my toxic conditioning and find the loving parent and person that was locked inside. Dr. Rosenberg has created a way to transform the violence in the world.”
“What began as a search for a better discipline system for our six-year-old has turned out to be a philosophical approach and communication tool that is transforming how we relate to each other and ourselves.”
“Nonviolent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg is a great book teaching a compassionate way to talk to people—even if you (or they) are angry.”
“A revolutionary way of looking at language. If enough people actually make use of the material in Nonviolent Communication, we may soon live in a more peaceful and compassionate world.”
“This is the most concise, most clearly written manual on interpersonal communication I’ve ever come across. I’ve been challenged by this book to be the change I want to see in my world.”
“I am one of those people who is highly critical of myself. This book is teaching me to love myself so I can truly care for others. It can pave the way for peace between people, different ethnic groups, countries, etc., and I believe our world really needs this.”
“Very few books have changed my life, caused me to rethink who I am and how I present myself to the world.”
“For convicts immersed in an environment which intensifies and reinforces conflict, discovering this step-by-step methodology advocating compassion through communication is enormously liberating.”
“As far as nonviolence and spiritual activism, Marshall Rosenberg is it! Applying the concepts within these books will guide the reader toward fostering more compassion in the world.”
“The quality of empathy I now am able to provide has enlivened my therapy practice. This book gives me hope that I can contribute to the well-being of my clients, and also connect deeply with my friends and family. The step-by-step empathy skills in this book are learnable by anyone.”
“I have never read a clearer, more straightforward, insightful book on communication. After studying and teaching assertiveness since the ’70s, this book is a breath of fresh air. Rosenberg adds the brilliant insight into the linkage of feelings and needs and taking responsibility and creates a true tool.”
