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Description

Nonviolent Communication: Observe, Express Your Need and Make a Clear Request

One day to replace blame with a request your counterpart can genuinely hear

  • 1 day — 7 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

Within a team, tensions are rarely raised directly. They surface through indirect remarks, judgements about the person or silences that stretch on. Everyone believes they are right, and the conversation that could have settled the matter is postponed until it turns into open conflict.

This 7-hour day is devoted to the nonviolent communication approach and its four stages: observing the facts, expressing what you feel, identifying the underlying need and formulating a concrete request. Participants practise on workplace situations they bring themselves and also learn to receive criticism without slipping into self-justification.

Learning objectives

  • Describe a situation in observable facts without judging the person
  • Name what you feel without attributing it to the other person's behaviour
  • Identify the professional need that lies behind a tension
  • Formulate a request that is concrete, negotiable and addressed to a specific person
  • Receive criticism by looking for the need expressed behind it

What makes this programme different

The situations worked on are brought by participants at the very start of the day
Dedicated practice in turning a judgement into a factual observation
One real difficult conversation prepared in writing and rehearsed in pairs

Programme

1Separating facts from judgement

Observation versus interpretation

  • Spotting judgements hidden inside seemingly descriptive statements
  • Rephrasing a criticism into observable facts
  • Effects of judging the person on the rest of the exchange
  • Choosing the right moment and setting to raise a sensitive subject

2Naming feelings and needs

What lies beneath the tension

  • Distinguishing a genuine feeling from an interpretation disguised as one
  • Vocabulary of emotions that works in a professional setting
  • Identifying the underlying professional need
  • Owning what you feel without holding the other person responsible

3Making and receiving requests

A concrete request and listening to criticism

  • Building a request that is concrete and negotiable
  • The difference between a request and a demand in disguise
  • Receiving criticism without immediate self-justification
  • Looking for the need behind the criticism received

Who is it for

Anyone working within a team, as well as managers and professionals regularly exposed to relational tension.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.