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Strengthening Wise Speech: A Deeper Dive into Nonviolent Communication (in-person)

Program Type:
Teacher:,
Time:10:00 am - 5:00 pm
Date:Saturday - July 26, 2025
Sessions:1
$125
$100
$85

This program will be held in person at our Center in Cambridge. Please bring a vegetarian lunch or plan to go out during the lunch break.

Building on our introductory workshop (Speaking from the Heart: Cultivating Wise Speech Through Nonviolent Communication, June 14, 2025), this session delves deeper into Nonviolent Communication (NVC) as a support to Wise Speech. NVC is a consciousness and skillset based on awareness, empathy, and connection. We will expand on the basics learned in our June workshop, applying the NVC model more extensively to support Wise Speech through interactive presentations and discussions, paired and small group activities, and brief guided meditations. This workshop helps you deepen your practice by articulating feelings, needs, and requests, developing empathy, and enhancing self-connection for more wise and compassionate communication.

You will learn to:

  • Articulate observations, feelings, needs, and requests with clarity and kindness
  • Develop a deeper understanding of your feelings, needs, and values
  • Deepen empathy and understanding of self and connection with others
  • Enhance your ability to connect with others on a meaningful level
  • Increase your ability to practice wise speech

Whether you're new to NVC or looking to enhance your practice, both daylong workshops offer a rich opportunity to integrate wise speech into your life.

Full and partial scholarships are available. Please submit your requests to office@cambridgeinsight.org at least 72 hours prior to the start of the program.

Bonnie Mioduchoski & Philippe Daniel are seasoned practitioners of Nonviolent Communication (NVC) and Insight Meditation with two decades of experience each. Both have practiced intensively for many years at Spirit Rock and the Insight Meditation Society (IMS). They began studying NVC in 2006, seeing it as a practical tool for embodying wise speech. Having applied NVC in their 30-year marriage and other relationships, they understand firsthand its transformative power. Bonnie has facilitated NVC workshops for diverse audiences, including at CIMC, and applied NVC principles as a Harvard Mediation Program small claims mediator. Together, they’ve led NVC workshops for the general public, meditators, and organizations. As graduates of a 2-year NVC program, the Spirit Rock 2-year Dedicated Practitioner Program, and David Treleaven’s Trauma Sensitive Mindfulness Program, they bring a profound depth of knowledge, sensitivity, and practice to their teaching.

Their interest is in integrating ancient wisdom and contemporary healing practices. By addressing both spiritual and psychological aspects, they help participants move beyond the cycle of perpetual self-improvement and uncover their innate freedom and compassion.

Learn more: www.speakingoflistening.com

June 14 NVC daylong workshop at CIMC or attendance at another NVC daylong workshop within the last two years (or equivalent in discussion with Bonnie).

Prior exposure to NVC fundamentals allows us to delve deeper into the core concepts and explore practical applications of NVC.  This prevents the workshop from becoming a repeat of the June workshop.

Workshop

Attending an In-Person Workshop at CIMC (see below for attending online workshops)

  • Please arrive at least 15 minutes early to check-in and to find a comfortable place in the meditation hall.
  • While at the Center all phones, pagers, beeping watches and other electronic devices must remain completely turned off at all times.
  • Parking at CIMC is limited; we suggest taking public transportation to the Center whenever possible.
  • Lunch will not be provided. Participants are invited to bring their own vegetarian meal to the Center or may buy lunch in the neighborhood. A list of local restaurants and food stores will be available.
  • Food and beverages, including water, are not allowed in the meditation halls.
  • We strongly recommend you dress in layers since the temperature in the meditation hall will vary throughout the day. The hall thermostat is set to a comfortable temperature range; however, please give yourself a range of clothing options, as individual preferences for warmth or coolness differ widely and cannot be accommodated.
  • Please leave shoes on the shoe shelves on the first floor and keep your valuables with you at all times.
  • CIMC provides zafus (round cushions), zabutons (large mats), meditation benches, blankets, and chairs for your use. At the end of the program, we request that participants brush off their zabuton and plump up their zafu. All other items should be returned neatly to where they were found.
  • CIMC is a refuge. Out of compassion for those who may have chemical sensitivities, please avoid using scented products—lotions, deodorant, after-shave, hair products, perfume, clothes laundered with scented detergent, or dryer sheets—before you come to the Center.

Attending an Online Workshop

  • We will be using Zoom for this workshop. Before your workshop begins, be sure to download Zoom and familiarize yourself with using the program, including the chat feature. Specifics about how we will be using Zoom during your workshop will be covered at the beginning of the workshop; however, we are not able to provide technical support during the workshop.
  • We ask that you treat our virtual meditation hall as if we were together in person, in the same room. The teachers and other yogis benefit greatly from your full presence and careful attention.
  • Join each session of the workshop a few minutes early. This will support the teachers and your fellow participants.
  • Ideally, power off phones and smartwatches for the entire time scheduled for the workshop on each day. Please don’t check your devices during breaks. We suggest that you put an “away” message on your email and voicemail and leave your devices in another room during your workshop hours.
  • Please keep your video on during our time together as much as you can. This supports a sense of connectedness and sangha.
  • Closed Captions for CIMC Programs are generated through “live streaming” via Rev.com. CIMC programs are not live-streamed to any other platform for any other use.
  • You will receive a welcome email from CIMC a day or two before your program that will include the zoom link and further information.