“Few words do justice to the privilege that it is to have Shaylin teach and hold space for your group. Shaylin pulls together various threads of non-violent communication and weaves them into commitment and reciprocity. Her gentle guidance and clear interventions mobilize groups to show up for each other in a big way. I have taken countless trainings on non-violent communication and conflict transformation over the years, but feel like I only began to absorb and implement these tools in a good way thanks to Shaylin. Cannot recommend highly enough”.
– Yolanda Clatworthy, Associate Director for the Mitigating Wildfire Initiative at Simon Fraser University’s Morris J. Wosk Centre for Dialogue
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“I give Shaylin credit for driving the adoption of NVC into our national instructor training curriculum. Not only is she a thoughtful and creative NVC educator, but she is also someone who strives to implement these practices into all that she does at work and in life.”
– Fiona Hough, Curriculum and Research Manager at Outward Bound Canada
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“I highly recommend Shaylin as a speaker and workshop facilitator. She put together an amazing session for our Girl Guide youth on the Circle of Courage. She made the sessions really engaging for them and created a welcoming and inclusive environment. She also did a great job of reading the energy levels of the participants, choosing to do active activities or give them a break based on their energy levels. I am looking forward to collaborating with her on future events!”
– Carissa Konesky, BC Girl Guides Link Liaison
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“Shaylin is so authentic in her delivery of non-violent communication. She teaches it experientially, pulls from real examples in her life, and is never shy to address conflicts she sees going on in groups using non-violent communication.”
– Shawn Kangro, Canoe Instructor Trainer at Paddle Canada
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“Having worked with many co-leaders, what struck me most about Shaylin’s style is the incredible way she observes her students to read what approach will best connect with her students and attunes in to their needs throughout the experience moving with the group to where it needs to go. She goes well beyond content delivery and helps you see the intricate connections within culture and society.”
– Rumi Kodama, 20+ years Outdoor Leader/Trainer and Paramedic
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“I’ve had the pleasure of watching Shaylin facilitate non-violent communication workshops for students and I’ve also leaned on her to navigate our team of educators through points of conflict. In both situations, Shaylin has acted as a tactful, intuitive and compassionate instructor. Any group or organization in need of relationship building or repair would be lucky to have her share her knowledge with them.”
– Bryant Race, Course Director at Outward Bound Canada
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“Hmm, what can I say about NVC that is short and to the point?
The thought that occurs to me is the first time I encountered NVC.
I first read the basic principles and assumptions about NVC after a friend of mine attended a NVC introduction in Toronto.
The part that caught my eye first was the section whereby it highlights forms of negative communication. I.e : Moralistic Judgements, Making Comparisons, Denial of Responsibility, Making Demands, & A Premise of Deserving (Entitlement). As I read through these and their definitions, I was initially struck by how these negative ways of communicating had been used against me before in the past, how much each and every politician, business leader, spoke words full of violence. They used words to project their antipathy against others, and encourage society to do the same.
After awhile of considering this, I had a really important realization. It was this:
How many of the five negative forms of speech did I use against myself? I had to admit that I was using Moralistic Judgements, Comparisons, Denying Responsibility, Making Demands and held a sense of Entitlement; against myself.
The penny dropped for me when I recognized that the society around me, including my own thinking was saturated in aggressive modes of communicating. The words I used in my head were against me.
It’s hard to do something positive for yourself, if you’ve turned yourself into a punching bag.
I realized that I had to speak with myself differently.
Does your way of communicating with yourself encourage self empathy, or does it tear that apart?
Yes NVC is a good tool for resolving conflicts and disagreements, yes it can help you communicate and listen to the people you care for; but its main positive affect is what you do with it inside of your own being.
Sincerely
– Milton Hill,” Academy Trainer at Outward Bound Canada
Shaylin Warren 