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Nonviolent Communication Companion Workbook 2nd Edition
Preface
T
his workbook is designed to be used in conjunction with Marshall
B. Rosenberg’s book, Nonviolent Communication: A Language of
Life (formerly titled Nonviolent Communication: A Language of
Compassion, PuddleDancer Press). It provides a thirteen-week
curriculum for the practice of Nonviolent Communication (NVC). It is
suggested that readers familiarize themselves with Marshall’s book
before beginning this workbook.
A Note on Giraffes and Jackals
In many countries, Nonviolent Communication is popularly known
as “Giraffe Language.” Marshall picked the giraffe, the land animal
with the largest heart, as a symbol for NVC, a language that inspires
compassion and joyful relationships in all areas of life. Like NVC, the
giraffe’s height affords a long view into the distance and provides a
heightened awareness of future possibilities and the consequences of
our thoughts, words, and actions. As a language that stresses the
expression of feelings and needs, NVC invites vulnerability and transforms it into strength. The long neck of the giraffe reminds us of this
important quality of vulnerability.
In some countries, Marshall uses a jackal puppet to represent that
part of ourselves that thinks, speaks, or acts in ways that disconnect
us from our awareness of our own feelings and needs, as well as
the feelings and needs of others. The word giraffe is sometimes used
interchangeably with NVC, and may also refer to a practitioner of NVC.
Within the context of “giraffe” and “jackal,” a jackal is simply a giraffe
with a language problem. As a friend, the jackal gives us the message
that we are unlikely to get our needs met if we continue as we are. Just
as the pain of a burn is our friend because it reminds us to remove our
hand from the hot stove, the jackal reminds us to take our time and
find the giraffe way to hear and think before we speak. The NVC
practice is to recognize and befriend our “jackals” by welcoming them
into awareness and allowing them to lead us to our feelings and needs.
Doing so as compassionately and as free from moral judgment as we
are able, we experience life in ever more fulfilling ways.
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Nonviolent Communication Companion Workbook 2nd Edition
N O N V IO L E N T C O M M U N I C AT IO N WO R K B O OK
For many, the use of puppets helps to distinguish these two parts
of ourselves (or these two ways of thinking and speaking) and is
an effective learning aid that brings clarity and play into the practice
of NVC.
Please note: The Center for Nonviolent Communication’s use of
the image and term giraffe is in no way connected to The Giraffe
Project, a completely separate organization producing its own
trainings and educational materials. Also, in some countries, NVC
trainers use animals other than the giraffe and jackal. In English,
“Giraffe Language,” “Compassionate Communication,” and “NVC”
are synonymous with “Nonviolent Communication.”
In former printings of this manual, the words giraffe and jackal were used
throughout the text. Because of the workbook’s widening use around the
world, and the fact that these two terms are not easily translated—or not
translatable at all—in the remainder of the book, these terms have been
replaced with literal descriptions.
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© PuddleDancer Press - NonviolentCommunication.com