Effective communication is key to building relationships based on mutual respect and trust. We learn at an early age that how we communicate has the potential to either de-escalate or escalate a conflict. Recognizing the importance of communication for individuals, families, and communities, the Global Peace Foundation (GPF) Nigeria sponsored a four-day virtual training on The Fundamentals of Nonviolent Communication in January 2025.
Opening the first training session on January 6, Rev. John Joseph Hayab, the country director of GPF Nigeria, expressed his appreciation for the program’s facilitator, Karen Starz, a Center for Nonviolent Communications certified trainer based in New Mexico, U.S.A. He also acknowledged the 60 diverse participants from various walks of life across several communities in Kaduna State. The participants included religious leaders, schoolteachers, businessmen and women, and representatives of other non-government organizations. Emphasizing the critical role communication plays in everyone’s life, Rev. Hayab stated, “Knowing what to say is good, but knowing how to say it is even better.”
In addition, Rev. Hayab stressed GPF’s commitment to the organization’s vision of One Family under God, which is based on our shared humanity. He expressed hope that the training would provide insight into how nonviolent communication can help individuals, families, and communities to engage in productive peacebuilding efforts through the strengthened observance of “Do No Harm.”
Following Rev. Hayab’s opening remarks, Ms. Starz kicked off the virtual event by thanking GPF Nigeria’s leadership for the opportunity to present the nonviolent communication training. She noted that global peace is predicated on each person engaging in self-care as a prerequisite to caring for others. She emphasized, “We cannot share peace to the world when we do not have it within ourselves.”
Ms. Starz earmarked each of the four one-day sessions on what she called the building blocks of nonviolent communication: Observation, Feelings, Needs, and Request. She explained that we must observe without judgment, express our feelings by owning our thoughts and how we view things, acknowledge the needs behind our feelings, and request in a positive way what we want from each other to enrich our lives.
Concluding the training on January 27, Ms. Starz underscored that “Nonviolent communication helps us to connect with each other and ourselves in a way that allows our natural compassion to flourish. It helps us to reframe the way we express ourselves and listen to others by focusing our consciousness on what we are observing, feeling, needing and what we are requesting to enrich ourselves.”
The training provided participants with the education and skills to engage in effective nonviolent communication, which can reduce tension and promote peace within their families, workplaces,
and communities. They expressed their appreciation for GPF Nigeria’s hosting of the event and for the interactive nature of the sessions, which kept them engaged through practical exercises and real-life applications of nonviolent communication.
Several participants commented on the effectiveness of the training. According to Grace Maikano, “The training sessions were highly insightful and kept getting better as the weeks go by.” Another participant, Nurudeen Dauda said, “The skills acquired from the training would go a long way in helping us mitigate violence in our families, communities and neighborhoods through improved positive inter-personal conversations.”
Based on the success of training like The Fundamentals of Nonviolent Communication, GPF Nigeria continues to create capacity-building opportunities in critical areas to achieve sustainable peace and social cohesion in families, communities, and society.
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