Requesting That Which Would Enrich Life
The Monday night NVC Group covered Chapter 6: Requesting That Which Would Enrich Life. We began with a check-in and then participated in an ice breaker where we were asked questions about our lives which gave us an opportunity to get to know each other a little better. We proceeded to cover Chapter 6 by reading the gray boxes and chapter summary, leaving room for discussion. Next, the individual assignments were covered in the workbook. A couple of members presented real life issues to the group and asked for exploration into appropriate, NVC requests for each unique scenario. The fact that you have to be very concrete with your observations was first addressed. The members who shared got to practice being as specific as possible with their initial observation that initiated the request. Discussion involved clarification between demands and requests, paying special attention to the idea that requests may sound like demands when unaccompanied by the speaker’s feelings and needs. We discussed the necessity of giving yourself empathy before asking for what you need, not gauging your feelings on the listener’s response to our feelings and needs. The group also talked about the importance of re-addressing issues with someone when you feel you were not practicing your “best” NVC at the time of the original discussion.