Open Communication
Our Sanctuary commitment to Open Communication encourages us to be open, honest, and transparent when communicating with others. Sanctuary teaches that knowing where everyone is at on an emotional level helps us to work more efficiently as a team. We strive to create an environment of trust, so we can feel safe when sharing information that can be tough to share.
Nonviolent Communication (NVC) provides us with a solid framework to help us communicate in a more open and empathetic way.
There are four pillars that make up the foundation of NVC. The first pillar is observation. When we find ourselves in a situation that has sparked an emotional response to bubble up to the surface, we often jump to judgement. Observation is the idea of simply stripping away the evaluations and looking at just the facts. This can help us “unhook” and look at the situation in a mindful and objective manner. The next pillar is identifying our feelings. It sounds simple but sometimes, it can be a challenge to verbalize exactly how we are feeling. A feelings list can be helpful when we are having a hard time communicating how we feel. The third pillar is identifying our needs. The author of Nonviolent Communication, Marshall Rosenburg, said “At the root of every tantrum and power struggle are unmet needs.” Once we have identified what our need is we can make a request. At the heart of NVC is expressing honestly and receiving empathetically using the four pillars.
1. Observations
2. Feelings
3. Needs
4. Requests
Feelings Sheet
You can print this Feelings Card and trim it to carry with you in your name tag sleeve.