Nonviolent Communication Virtual Intensive Course

NVC was developed by Marshall Rosenberg, an American psychologist, who was the Educational Director of CNVC, the world-wide organisation that brings NVC together on a global basis.

Nonviolent communication (NVC) is an approach and a way of living that aims to bring all human being closer to themselves and to those around them. Above all, it serves as a compass for creating a life that is aligned with our deepest values, moment to moment, inviting systemic change to support a world that works for all human beings.

Through a set of tools, NVC offers us an opportunity to communicate effectively with people around us, and helps us solve conflict in a compassionate and connecting way. In addition, NVC can be used for designing life-supporting communities and systems, in government, business, schools, and more.

Our team believes that Nonviolent Communication is one of the most powerful tools to bring the social change to contribute to peace in the world. We know that there is a different way of being which brings more joy and satisfaction for everyone, including children, parents, managers, couples. This is why we created a platform which allows people from all over the world to learn about NVC in the safety and comfort of their own homes.

You’re so welcome because one of our goals is to introduce NVC to new people! No experience is required to join and we have a special beginners track for 2 days designed just for you!

• Normally, the EIC (European Intensive Course) is an 8-day event organised every year by Peace Factory in France, Europe. The VIC is a virtual format of the same course.
• An experiential workshop for developing fluency in Nonviolent Communication
• An opportunity to learn and practice Nonviolent Communication with Peace Factory certified trainers
• A safe environment for personal growth
• A time to make deep connections
• A group of people from different cultures working together toward transformed relationships and social systems

Unpredictable, Informal, Challenging and supportive

• By listening to presentations about various aspects of Nonviolent Communication
• By participating in small groups and through informal practice with other participants
• By remembering the purpose of Nonviolent Communication
• By contributing to other participants and receiving their contributions

We have based this Nonviolent Communication course on the co-creation of a safe container where people from different countries tap into the living energy of an emerging community using Nonviolent Communication. You are able to request what you want to learn, so you get to explore the topics which are really important to you. These may include : social change, conflict resolution, personal growth, relationships, spirituality, parenting, education, workplace, and a special beginner track - many sessions to choose from and all the videos to watch later!

Yes, if a trainer is willing to be present with you, otherwise there is plenty of space for you to lead workshops outside the daily schedule.

Your contribution consists of a tuition fee for 8 full days, the access to full course documentation, the access to all the videos for at least 6 months. It does not include equipment to join or your internet connection.

Your contribution enables us to pay CNVC and different service providers we use to make the course work well (like Zoom, Stripe, Cryptpad, Dropbox…), then some resources contribute to special purchases made by the Peace Factory team (lighting, a decent camera…), and the rest of the resources are put into a money pile and shared (using Systemic Consensing to make decisions) between everyone who has worked on the project, according to their needs, including some money for Peace Factory to be able to continue funding scholarships and peace projects throughout the world in a sustainable way.

Day 1 - 13th (Friday)

Day 2 - 14th (Saturday)

Day 3 - 15th (Sunday)

• Rest Day - 16th (Monday)

Day 4 - 17th (Tuesday)

Day 5 - 18th (Wednesday)

• Rest Day - 19th (Thursday)

Day 6 - 20th (Friday)

Day 7 - 21st (Saturday)

Day 8 - 22nd (Sunday)

The daily schedule is subject to change to take into account your requests made during the Course Schedule.

The Virtual Intensive Course replaces European Intensive Course which was held at the Peace Factory in France this past 8 years. It was about practising and living NVC every day, being immersed in a language of feelings and needs for 8 full days.

Eating and breathing NVC as an immersive experience.

Science shows that this is exactly what our brains need to break old habits to learn new life-serving habits. Nonviolent Communication is not a thing to DO, it’s a way to BE.

And we’ve taken into account that 8 days in a row would be unmanageable for most of you AND us, so we’ve come up with 2 days off to digest, stretch and MOVE!!

This course is designed to be convenient for people living in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.

All times quoted are Universal Time Coordinated. On day 1: the scheduled start of the program (first meeting) starts at 08:30 UTC - London which is:

09:30 - France, Germany, Switzerland

10:30 - Russia

11:30 - South Africa

14:00 - India

15:30 - Thailand

Please check your time using this time convertor.

The Remembering Sessions help participants be aware of the purpose underlying NVC. Participants who wish to share may express this remembering with a short exercise, a ceremony, poem, musical selection, a reading, etc. If you would enjoy doing so, please bring materials to contribute to the Remembering Sessions.

You can use a site like www.speedtest.net to check if your download speed is 3MBPS or more. More technical information here: system requirements

It’s easy to the platform created by our technical team who are all trained in NVC and are willing to support you if you need help. Technical glitches are a normal part of any virtual course. Rather than panic and blame, issues are handled with grace and support.

The format of the course is designed to promote the integration and sustainability of work beyond the course and throughout the following year. There is an option for small groups to stay in active contact once a fortnight and to enjoy monthly mentoring from one of the trainers.

To provide participants with a choice of learning opportunities VIC’s typically operate in a manner that is similar to the principles of Open Space Technology. For more information about the principles, please look at www.openspaceworld.org

You will receive access to the Virtual Exchange Platform at least 2 weeks before the course starts to be able to communicate with the course attendees, discuss topics, see the handouts and the videos we are preparing especially for the participants.

We request payment in Euros using a credit card or direct debit (bank transfer). You can book a place on our tickets page of the course. If you would like to pay in installments by direct debit, before booking please contact Louise by louise@peacefactory.fr.

No, because community is at the core of this course, so starting together is especially important (and any child who misses the first day at school can explain this to you), so tickets sales close the day before we start, on the 12th of November 2020.

You can apply for this VIC by going to the tickets page

If you are applying for a reduced price, we ask that you fill in a Reduced-resources fund form. (See the form here.)

Places are based on the sequence in which applications are received and processed. Once the VIC is filled, Peace Factory creates a waiting list. If the VIC is full when you apply, you will see information on the registration form and your name is automatically placed on the waiting list in the order received. Peace Factory will not request payment unless/until you are promoted from the waiting list and registered into the VIC. There is no guarantee that a space will open up.

Once you’ve booked, you will receive a message notifying you of the status of your application.

We are very committed to spreading empathy skills, and are therefore keen to create recordings of trainers in sessions (but not small group practice), that may be published for educational purposes and to promote NVC. We would really like the VIC to be a space in which we can all freely express ourselves and feel safe, so if you have concerns about recording, please read the information available here: tinyurl.com/y39jw467. Please do not register for the VIC if neither of the strategies presented in this document supports you.

These recordings are accessible for the next 6 months so you can carry on learning from the sessions.

We all want to feel secure and we want everybody to feel secure too. The virtual platform has been designed by experts with privacy in mind. We are aware that during the course people may share personal information. Our data collection is the bare minimum to conform to European law and our Terms of Invitation (ToI) include a written agreement to withhold from registering any part of the VIC and to respect the privacy of everyone’s personal details unless they have written informed consent for another participant.

Of course, you’re welcome! You have paid the couple price with two tickets, however if it’s at all possible, we recommend you have two screens because if you only have one screen, a) you have to sit further away from the screen so that you can both be seen and b) one screen means you will always be in the same session!

When you exchange between yourselves, please make sure you’re muted and please check from time-to-time whether other people might benefit from your reflections.

Most of the team and participants speak English as a second or third language, so the English spoken is simple and slow. But if you’d like to check it out, please book a 10 minute exchange with Irmtraud by contacting her at irmtraudkauschat@gmail.com

Peace Factory incurs significant expenses with every application processed, so we request that you refrain from buying a ticket for the course unless your plans are firm, and you are confident of your ability to attend.

In the event that the VIC 2020 does not take place, the VIC enrollee agrees that Peace Factory shall have no obligation to compensate the VIC enrollee beyond the tuition fee they paid.

In the event that you cancel your VIC application, Peace Factory will ask how you would like us to handle the ticket you have already bought. At your request, if you have registered and decide to cancel your place, you may offer the place to someone you know or to someone on the reduced-resources fund list.

Peace Factory has a limited reduced-resources fund for VICs. Below are the criteria which we take into consideration.

Please remember: To be eligible for consideration, please submit your completed reduced-resources fund form. Request at least one month before the start of the VIC. The form is here. Late applications will not be considered.

To minimise the chance of disappointing you, we would like you to know that Peace Factory’s reduced-resources funding is limited. We do not expect to give reductions to all, or even most, of those who apply. Please note also that Peace Factory rarely offers reductions to applicants other than those from developing countries. We use the following criteria in selecting recipients:

1. Potential of applicants to share NVC widely, especially among populations not already reached.
2. Economic need, especially if resulting from circumstances beyond one's control.
3. Previous NVC training (those with more training will generally be given preference over those with less training).
4. Connection to the CNVC community, and previous contribution to the Peace Factory community.
5. Except in extraordinary circumstances, reductions are not offered to people who have previously attended an NVC intensive course.

If the VIC is full when you apply (and you will see this information on the tickets page along with the questionnaire), your name is automatically placed on the waiting list in the order received, and your payment is not requested unless/until you are promoted from the waiting list and registered into the VIC. There is no guarantee that a space will open up.

Even the more experienced participants don’t find an intensive course repetitive. Course materials are continually evolving, so it’s somewhat different from year to year. Additionally people report that the material is so rich that they hear something different even if a topic is the same! Most important, peer learning is an integral part of our course. Having applied the material in their lives for a year, they enrich and broaden the programme for everybody. They may coach during mediation role-plays, offer empathy and support between training sessions so first-time participants get all the support they could want throughout the course.

Sure thing! As long as we have your permission and details, we can provide an invoice for your course.

Most sessions are recorded, and we’ll work with you to catch up. If you fall too far behind please contact one of our Care Team members and we’ll see what we can do.

In an effort to support clarity and easy access to information, here is the updated language from CNVC’s website:

For those who wish to become CNVC Certified Trainers, contact your assessor to see how a VIT may help you to fulfill the certification requirements for participating in an intensive training. A lot of them request that if a candidate does not attend an IIT before becoming certified, they have:

• Multi-day, in-depth, residential training
• International NVC experience
• Areas fully experienced: NVC community (ongoing peer support), spirituality, and social change
• Significant NVC experience with multiple CNVC certified trainers and mentors
• Established a connection to CNVC, have a clear priority to support our mission, willing and able to renew annual certification.

All VIC participants receive a certificate confirming their participation in our intensive course.

Yes! we welcome the support of volunteers, especially for Zoom support and marketing-related tasks. Please write to louise@peacefactory.fr.

If you have questions that aren’t included here, you are invited to write to louise@peacefactory.fr so that these FAQ get richer!

The sessions with trainers are recorded and will be available for at least 6 months on the platform, so you'll be able to catch up on content. You might also consider making a request to people in your home group to spend some time with you so you ca ask them any questions once you've watched the videos or to practice an exercise with them!

Disclaimer : NVC is not a therapy, and participating requires a basic level of robustness.

We take your experience seriously. In the event of a conflict with one of our trainers, if after several direct exchanges with the person concerned, you are unable to resolve the conflict satisfactorily, you can contact our Peace Factory mediator.

Your complaint will be reviewed by the mediator who will contact you to listen to your situation and help you either to:

1. get back in touch with the trainer, or
2. choose a restoration practice (e.g. mediation, restorative circle, etc.) carried out by a professional third party.

If, after several direct exchanges with the person concerned and our mediator, you are unable to resolve this conflict, you can refer the matter to our conflict resolution system at the international level by writing to us.  The chosen restoration practice will probably have a cost fixed by the chosen professional, which will be shared by the people concerned.

For the moment, this course is only offered in English, and if you need language support, you can buy a ticket for two and work side by side with your own interpreter. In future, we hope to offer this platform in many languages.