Workplace - Communication for Life

Collaborative Communication for the Workplace

Communication for Life: Supporting people who support people.
Specialising in NGOs, community organisations, social service-oriented businesses.
“Having worked in NGOs and social services myself, I know intimately both their significant importance and potential for positive social change and also the high burn out rate of people working in these often undervalued roles.
I am passionate about supporting the wellbeing of individuals and teams who are serving humanity.”
Jocelyn Kennedy

There’s such a wealth of research now on the positive impact of empathy and effective communication in the workplace, that authorities such as The Harvard Business Review lists empathy as a core competency for leaders.

Nonviolent Communication (NVC) has a proven track record in many countries around the world as a very effective communication model for the workplace.

“Upon becoming CEO of Microsoft in 2014, Satya Nadella confronted its legendarily combative culture by urging the company’s top executives to read Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication, A Language of Life, which preaches the power of empathy, self-awareness, and authenticity in collaboration in the workplace, at home, and beyond.”
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In social service organisations collaboration, mutual respect and support are essential for maintaining morale, wellness and effectiveness.

Training in NVC can help address common issues effectively and harmoniously, whether you are management or staff. For example:

An irritating co-worker
Emotional and physical burnout
A staff member who submits incomplete work
Criticism from a boss
Conflict with a client
Endless meetings that go nowhere
Power struggles
Lack of commitment to the work

Competency in NVC may result in:

Increasing capacity for empathy
Improved self-connection and self-care
Building trust and mutual respect
Managing conflict with win-win outcomes
Increasing accountability to the vision of the organisation
Bringing fun to the workplace
Confidence in taking risks, asking for help
Giving and receiving effective feedback
Increasing effectiveness and efficiency of meetings
Everyone feeling valued and appreciated
Empowerment whatever your place in the organisation

Jocelyn offers NVC trainings, coaching and mediation for the workplace. Get in touch with her to discuss services tailored to your organisation’s needs.

Having Jocelyn available as an independent facilitator when particular relationships get strained has been really helpful – we trust Jocelyn’s skills and trust the model.

NVC provides a shared understanding of what kinds of communication are appropriate and can build relationship, allowing people from all different roles in the organisation to communicate well in times of stress. NVC has a proven track record for us, and its focus on compassion means that it sits comfortably with our value base.

Kathryn McPhillips

Executive Director, Sexual Abuse HELP, Auckland

DOVE Hawkes Bay is a specialist agency working in the area of family violence. During Jocelyn’s time of working for us she pioneered a couple’s course using NVC. Jocelyn ran two courses and they proved highly successful with profoundly healing and connecting moments by the couples during the courses.

A number of staff at DOVE Hawkes Bay have completed the NVC training and use aspects of it in their work with both victims and perpetrators of family violence with good effect. Its non-judgmental basis augers well when engaging with clients and the notion of unmet needs as the cause of negative emotions provides a pathway forward for changing behaviour.

Malcolm Byford

General Manager, DOVE Hawkes Bay

I’ve been a corporate trainer and coach for 15 years. Using NVC with my clients is taking my practice to a whole new level

Gail Page

Director, Positive Pathways

Jocelyn’s workshop helped me to get interested in what are the stories that I have about the person that I am upset with and also understand what might be going on for them. It also helps me to identify the needs that haven’t been met for both parties, and take things less personally.