Make Life More Wonderful
Hi! We are Ben and Anne-Line. It is a delight to share our Nonviolent Communication (NVC) skills and experience, to help Make Life More Wonderful.
We met at the start of covid, and were immediately struck by our shared backgrounds and interest around building peace. NVC has been transformative for each of us individually and in our relationship, and now we have teamed up to help grow the NVC community in Canberra.
We look forward to meeting you at one of our events!
I want to live in a world where everyone's needs matter.
I first encountered NVC while living in Silicon Valley, where I had the privilege of learning from outstanding teachers at BayNVC. What I learned transformed all my relationships, including my relationship with myself.
NVC has become central to how I understand humans. It gives me ears with which to hear the needs behind what people say and do; empathy skills with which to connect; and the language to express my own needs clearly and honestly.
For me, teaching NVC is a step towards transforming the violent systems that dominate our society. First let's learn how to be compassionate towards each other and ourselves; then we can begin to build compassionate institutions.
And along the way there is so much joy to be had in building our community. I hope you'll join us!
I am passionate about creating shared meaning and understanding.
NVC has been invaluable for that purpose. It has allowed me to build deeper connections with my daughter, my partner, my family and my friends. In the workplace it has helped me build common purpose and foster a collaborative environment, where staff feel empowered and even reluctant stakeholders can become valuable contributors.
I have a Masters in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Sydney and have received training in mediation and NVC. I have practiced as a forum sentencing facilitator in the NSW restorative justice system. I have extensive experience in designing and delivering trainings and workshops, built over 20 years as a project manager in the private and public sectors.
I'm excited to share what I've learned and help make others' lives more wonderful!