Kathy Ziola, author of the book “Live Compassion” and certified trainer for the Center for Non Violent Communication, provided a primer on this subject.
To prepare for non-violent communication, she asked the audience to become “present” in the moment by closing their eyes and focus on their breath. Once prepared, a person can consciously move away from being judgmental and assigning blame and towards understanding. To practice this skill, she asked audience members to pair up, with one member describing what they had done this morning while the other members listened closely and then to reverse roles. Listening closely without judging the other person leads to empathetic listening and responding. It also leads to an increase in collaboration and empathy between the parties involved. Ms. Ziola lives and works in Loveland.