Empathy in Action: Different Strategies, Shared Human Needs 🦒💛

About this event

What happens when we both have needs that matter—but want completely different things?

• “I want us all to spend Thanksgiving together.”

• “I really need some quiet time to myself.”

• “I want to talk about this now.”

• “I need some space before we talk.”

Sometimes it seems like the only options are for one person to give in, for both people to compromise, or for everyone to walk away frustrated. But what if there's another way to look at it? 💡

In Nonviolent Communication (NVC), we explore an important distinction: our human needs are universal, but the strategies we use to meet them can be very different.

One person might want a family gathering because they're longing for connection and belonging. Another might prefer a quiet day because they're longing for rest and ease.

Neither person's needs are wrong. The challenge is discovering ways to care for what matters to everyone.

And sometimes the struggle isn't between two people at all. It's happening inside us! We may long for connection and solitude, or want to speak up while also wanting safety and harmony.

Whether the conflict is within us or between us, exploring the needs beneath our competing strategies can open up greater compassion, creativity, and choice.

In this interactive workshop, we'll explore how to move beyond either/or thinking, get curious about the needs beneath our preferences, and discover possibilities we might not have considered before.

You'll have opportunities to:

• explore the difference between needs and strategies

• recognize when we're attached to one particular way of meeting a need

• practice identifying the needs beneath disagreements

• work with relatable, real-life situations

• experiment with creative possibilities that consider everyone's needs

You don't need any NVC experience, and you don't need to arrive with the answers.

We're practicing together. 🦒💛

L2O2 workshops are interactive and experiential, with space for reflection, conversation, and hands-on practice in a supportive community setting.

💛 Everyone is welcome! Although our workshop meets at a church, L2O2 is not religiously affiliated. We welcome people of all faiths and beliefs, including those with no religious affiliation.

For more information: https://l2o2.org

From Learning to love ourselves and others