Why the Blackbelt Communication Skills Retreat?
This 4-day intensive training will give you an immersion in the consciousness and skills of Nonviolent CommunicationTM (NVC), a powerful methodology for interpersonal harmony and effectiveness, and for creating positive social change that includes compassion.
Gather with other like-minded people at one of the Pacific Northwest’s premier sustainability retreat centers, Whidbey Institute.
With a powerful focus on positive Social Change, this retreat will amplify your ability to contribute to the world by providing you with the communication skills necessary to create win-win outcomes in any situation!
What exactly is the Blackbelt Communication Skills Retreat?
This is a four-day, four-night immersion in NVC, community, compassion, and making a positive difference.
NVC is a world-famous, proven, time-tested set of tools and skills with which you can:
- Create exceptional personal and professional relationships,
- Offer compassionate understanding to others (and know when and how to ask for it yourself),
- Prevent and resolve misunderstandings and conflicts,
- Speak your truth in a way that is more likely to lead to harmony than conflict, and
- Create mutual understanding without coercion.
NVC was named by Marshall Rosenberg from a sense of alignment with Gandhi’s movement of truth-telling and compassion.
The term “Blackbelt” refers to Aikido — which is a martial art of peace — and also connotes a sense of mastery — the kind of mastery we want in high-stakes conversations and any time emotions are strong.
How is the retreat structured?
We will have a balance between time in the large group, as well as time in smaller groups in various breakout spaces.
Because we have four trainers, there will be times during which multiple offerings will be held simultaneously, to provide variety and choice. There may be some individual 1-on-1 work possible as well.
This retreat is designed to serve people at all levels of practice in NVC, from beginners to advanced practitioners.
We plan to have an Intro track for beginners and for people who want to review.
We will cover as much of the curriculum as time permits, but our focus will be on practice to help you accelerate in your skill development.
When is it?
October 1-5, 2014
Supper will be at 5pm with our opening circle at 7pm, Wednesday, October 1.
We will conclude on Sunday, October 5 by 3pm in order to accommodate travel time.
Where is it?
The Whidbey Institute, located near Seattle, Washington State, USA, has been at the forefront of sustainability and leadership education for decades.
It is a place where people connect deeply with the natural world and each other, renew their life energy, and engage in deep conversation and learning to imagine and create an abundant, sustainable and life-affirming future.
For whom is this training?
This retreat is for you if:
- You want to spend 4 days immersed and improving your NVC skills in a safe, growthful, and compassionate setting,
- You enjoy the idea of being able to choose among multiple offerings during any given session,
- You would enjoy this NVC immersion at one of the most respected, Earth-friendly retreat centers in the Pacific Northwest,
- You like eating wholesome organic food with access to many acres of beautiful nature trails,
- You want all this as a member of a powerful and compassionate learning community.
This retreat is designed to serve people at all levels of practice in NVC. Beginners and experts will all have something wonderful to gain, learn, and contribute.
The venue is fantastic. The team is amazing. The timing is just right.
To register click here
Bonus Gifts: For enrolling in the BCS Retreat you get 2 Downloadable Bonuses!
Nonviolent Communication Deep Basics Audio & Home Study Course
A Path With Heart; 25 Interviews on Nonviolent Communication and Social Change
(We are offering these bonuses as downloads only, but if you want them in a different format, let us know!)
Who is on the training team?
Alan Seid
Alan Seid (pronounced “side”) has been studying NVC since 1995. After attending a 10-day International Intensive Training in 1999, Alan worked for 10 days as Marshall Rosenberg’s Spanish interpreter in South America. Alan has been a CNVC Certified Trainer since 2003.
Since his teenage years, Alan has been passionate about best practices for creating harmony with the planet, between people, and within ourselves. Alan lives on 25 acres in the foothills of the North Cascades in the Pacific Northwest where he also engages in an ecologic design system called Permaculture Design.
Alan works as a coach, consultant, and seminar leader, focusing on working with people who are committed to making a positive difference.
Alan is founder of the Blackbelt Communication Skills Coaching Program (http://BlackbeltCommunicationSkills.com) as well as Cascadia Workshops, an internet publishing and live seminar production company for empowering Changemakers. Within NVC, Alan’s passion lies with how to apply NVC to positive social change.
You can learn more about Alan at http://CascadiaWorkshops.com
Kathleen Macferran
Kathleen Macferran holds a vision for a peaceful, just and sustainable world. She works as a Certified Trainer for the Center for Nonviolent Communication (CNVC) and offers communication and conflict resolution training internationally to organizations and individuals including businesses, schools, colleges, community groups, faith-based communities, hospitals, families, prison inmates, and correctional and law enforcement employees. She’s one of 25 assessors worldwide who supports CNVC trainer candidates through the certification process for CNVC. Kathleen is on the faculty of Seattle Central Community College where she offers courses in Conflict Management.
For over 25 years Kathleen has explored ways to restore harmony to communities. Her experience includes nearly two decades as a music conductor and leader of a nonprofit organization, and seven years as a public school teacher. Kathleen enjoys exploring with communities ways to engage with conflict in life-serving ways and developing restorative justice systems. Kathleen is one of the lead trainers for the Freedom Project, an affiliate organization of CNVC that strengthens community safety through supporting the transformation of prisoners into peacemakers. Kathleen offers trainings in concrete skills of nonviolence leading to reconciliation with ourselves, our loved ones and the community.
Check out Kathleen’s TEDx Talk about her work with NVC in prisons: Houses of Healing
Kathleen’s website is https://strengthofconnection.com
Karl Steyaert
Karl is a cultural catalyst, passionate about co-creating learning experiences and communities that contribute to peace, justice, and sustainability. With over 20 years of experience teaching and facilitating groups, he has helped catalyze learning in settings ranging from university classrooms (University of Michigan, University of Massachusetts, University of Washington) to ecovillages (Findhorn Community, Scotland; Auroville, India) and urban gardens.
As a Certified Trainer in Nonviolent Communication (NVC) he has led trainings in conflict resolution and communication across North America, Europe, and Asia. In addition, he facilitates Restorative Circles, an approach to restorative justice grounded in NVC.
With academic training in Anthropology and Environmental Policy, Karl enjoys practicing & sharing ecovillage design, Permaculture, aikido (a nonviolent Japanese martial art), Buddhist meditation, and yoga. Karl lives in Seattle, Washington, in an intentional community house he co-founded with a group of dear friends. He also loves to ride his bike, climb mountains, and play.
Karl’s website is findflow.org.
To learn more or to register click here