Better Relationships

A 4-Day Communication Intensive
for people who wish everyone were rational

with Shona Cameron and Jean Moroney
November 7 – 10, 2024
In Naples, Florida
SOLD OUT!

RCC image of two heads

Sorry, we are sold out!
Email info@thinkingdirections.com if you’d like to be on a waiting list.

In this 4-day interactive intensive, you will learn:

  • The key to having close relationships between independent adults, without any hint of secondhandedness
  • How you can be a “rationality magnet” who brings out the most rational side of the other person, especially when you disagree or disapprove of something
  • How to ensure that difficult conversations bring you closer to friends, family, and coworkers rather than push you apart
  • How and when to create an opening for your viewpoint to be heard, understood, and appreciated—without diluting or distorting it
  • How you can unilaterally enjoy your relationships more

This methodology works with friends, lovers, family members, clients, bosses, co-workers, and acquaintances. Come with a specific relationship in mind that you want to improve.

For an introduction to the method, see this video with Shona Cameron and Jean Moroney:

Next session dates:
November 7 – 10, 2024
in Naples, Florida.

SOLD OUT!

Note: This is being held in a private residence with cats.

Who should attend?

Do you ever feel like a victim of other people?

Do you sometimes wish there were a shortcut so that you could just get people to do what you want?

When someone else disapproves of you or criticizes you, do you get hung up on what they said and how to deal with it?

If any of these are true, you need skills such that when other people do what they do, you aren’t fazed by it.  It takes skill to see how to achieve your goals without the complete cooperation of someone else. It takes skill to enjoy a relationship even when you disagree about some important things. And it takes skill to maintain your composure if another person gets defensive—or you do.

All of this is truly possible. Read the testimonials and you will see this is true. But it takes re-conceptualizing what relationships are and understanding your contribution to your frustration. It takes work to see constructive, rationally selfish options in dealing with people who are not fully aligned with you, or who are easily triggered, or who are stubborn, mixed, etc. (Insert your favorite criticism of them here.) You need to be able to see ways forward that don’t kill the relationship or deprive you of deep, meaningful values you really want.

The skill you need is a communication skill—a methodology that can help you respond constructively in the moment without damaging the relationship or sacrificing your rational values. This is what people get from this 4-day communication intensive.

Come with one or more existing relationships in mind that you want to improve.

It doesn’t matter if they are romantic relationships, family relationships, work relationships, or casual relationships. This methodology helps with all social interactions. But do make sure it is a relationship for which you are willing to initiate the effort to make a difference. Maybe you simply want to reduce everyday conflict between you. Maybe you want it to be easier to have some “difficult” conversations with someone. Maybe you are longing to feel closer to someone. Maybe you want to eliminate old habits of secondhandedness that undercut your relationship with someone.

On the other hand, don’t come to the intensive so you can have intellectual conversations with strangers. You need a relationship first. Don’t come if your only goal is to straighten another person out. You need to be willing to accept another’s autonomy. And I don’t recommend you come with your significant other if that’s the relationship you want to improve. It’s too small a group (maximum 14 participants) for you to be able to work on that independently of each other, which is what you need.

What is the format?

On the first day, I run a workshop on relationships for individualists. You will clarify the sources of joy you get or want to get from your existing relationships and learn how—in principle and unilaterally—to navigate the inevitable conflicts and disagreements that occur in them. Days 2–4 are application. We will go on a deep dive into the “Rationally Connected Conversations” method. You will role play those tricky conversations and discover unforeseen ways that you can strengthen the bonds with those you care about and eliminate any resentments or conflicts. You will see that cooperation from the other person is not necessary, though you will find that the tactics taught in this intensive elicit much more alignment than you were ever able to get before.

Specifically, here’s what we’ll be working on each day:

Day 1: Individualistic Relationships

Jean Moroney, presenter. Day 1 is a working session with theory and individual exercises for you to explore the relationships you want to improve. We will discuss:

  • Visibility and trade—the foundations of a good relationship
  • How deep rational values help untangle secondhanded desires
  • The role of boundaries in a healthy relationship
  • How to eliminate any sense of victimhood
  • Constructive versus destructive criticism
  • The role of moral judgment in a healthy relationship
  • The gold standard for a relationship: “Open, Honest, Equal”
  • The role of Rationally Connected Conversations (RCC) in achieving the above benefits

Days 2 & 3: Methodology

Shona Cameron, Certified CNVC Trainer, presenter. These two days are an interactive, experiential workshop for learning the skills using role-plays and other interactive methods. You will learn:

  • Why your attempts to “help” a conversation may backfire, and the effective alternative
  • How to express your concerns and negative feedback without alienating the other person or skirting the issue
  • A 3-part roadmap for navigating a difficult conversation (with real-time practice)
  • A step-by-step technique for identifying logical reasons to give someone “the benefit of the doubt”
  • How to make requests rather than demands of the people around you
  • A 5-step process for grounding yourself emotionally (with real-time practice)

Day 4: Integration

Jean Moroney, facilitator. Day 4 is devoted to consolidating what you learned and discussing philosophical issues. We will:

  • Practice RCC in role plays using the real-time methods learned in Days 2 & 3
  • Identify potential challenges in using the tools and troubleshoot how to overcome them
  • Address any ethical concerns raised by the workshop, such as how to avoid sanctioning immorality or engaging in manipulation
  • Create individual action plans for using the process

This 4-day seminar reinforces a particular worldview, holding the following ideas to be true:

  • Motivation by Love: Resolve conflicts by identifying and maximizing positives rather than focusing on negatives.
  • The Individual as Sovereign: Deal with others by persuasion and requests, not force or demands. You self-direct yourself. You are responsible for meeting your own needs and pursuing your own values.
  • The Value of Others: Other people are potentially a huge source of value—for gaining knowledge, trading values, and forming relationships. Gaining these values requires mutual cooperation, communication, and connection. These values presuppose an objective foundation for mutual trust.
  • Reason-Emotion Harmony: There is no necessary conflict between your thoughts and feelings. If you experience a conflict, that is information about your values, worth introspecting further.
  • No Conflicts of Interest: There are no necessary conflicts of interest among rational men.

*CNVC is the Center for Nonviolent Communication, the organization Marshall Rosenberg formed to teach and spread his communication methods. This workshop is an adaptation of his methods, as reinterpreted from the perspective of Ayn Rand’s philosophy of Objectivism, specifically, as an application of rational egoism.

Testimonials from Past Participants

The following testimonials are from intensives with Shona Cameron:

I had three major life-changing epiphanies as a result of this intensive. I have so much optimism and excitement for the future, because I can see how in a few years of earnest work, my life—especially my internal experience of life—will be transformed. Thank you! It is absolutely worth every cent and every hour of work!
Samantha Westmoreland, Writer, Ypsilanti, MI


Most valuable to me were the methods for gaining self-understanding and connecting with others—and the integration with the Objectivist ethics. If you can afford it, the intensive is more than worth it. Shona was so incredibly perceptive.

Chris Cinatl, Actuary, Naperville, IL


Shona has a remarkable ability to break the process of building an honest connection with another person into simple steps—starting with an honest, empathetic connection with oneself—and then teach participants the take-home skills to do this themselves.

—Andrew Layman, Program Manager, Bellevue, WA


If you want to improve how you connect with people, this is the way.

Sean Saulsbury, Entrepreneur, Oceanside, CA


When I made the decision to join Jean’s RCC intensive in early 2023, I was feeling intense despair. I had recently told my husband that I wanted a divorce, but had agreed to try to work things out. I was at a complete loss, and I thought that I had tried everything to repair the relationship. I decided to attend this intensive to repair my marriage. What I found was something entirely different, that I needed much more desperately. When I arrived in Naples, I thought that I would just be learning communication strategies that would help me convince my husband to change, or at best help me to accept or understand him. The reality was that this intensive was so much more about understanding myself. “To say ‘I love you,’ one must first know how to say the ‘I’.” After 14 years of studying Objectivism, this intensive helped me understand that quote for the first time.

Shona was an invaluable part of this process. The tools she gave us for self-empathy and communication I still use to this day. How interesting it was to find out that self-empathy was really the most difficult part of the process. I remember an intense moment for myself where I was role-playing a difficult conversation with my husband. At one point, I was completely stuck. I couldn’t think. I couldn’t introspect. I couldn’t speak. A person in my group grabbed Shona to help me continue with the process. She stood next to me and put her arm on my shoulder, and only said a few words. But she helped me get through that moment with grace, and I was amazed that with only a few words, she showed me a type of connection and support that I’m not sure I’ve ever experienced. And in that moment I understood why I was in so much emotional pain. I only hope that I was able to thank her enough before the weekend was over.

I have never met a group of people that I shared such a fulfilling connection with. The support that I experienced, and seeing every single person’s emotional presence during that weekend, was a true inspiration. I think that, during those few days, I may have seen the best in humanity, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

June Decker, Manager, Lebanon, NH


The following testimonials come from earlier intensives, with Jeff Brown and Jean Moroney:

Highly recommended! Problems become more tractable when using the OFNR method; they seemed much easier to solve. I was surprised that guessing at someone’s feelings or values and then asking them if my guess was correct can really help to connect, even when the guess is wrong.
Susan Harbison, Geneticist, Rockville, MD


This intensive gives you very focused, specific strategies both for handling real-time difficult conversations, and for preparing for conversations. I was able to integrate it with negotiation strategies I already knew. Naming the rational values made for a more positive interaction.
Paula Hall, Lawyer, Newton Center, MA


I got so much out of the communication intensive and the followups. For example, getting a chance to roleplay a person I was having trouble with was eye-opening. Putting myself in “his shoes,” and framing that situation focusing on values within the drill made the situation much more palatable for me. But the biggest benefit I got was the method of “self-empathy” or “self-connection.” It is really a pleasure to use the process to stay emotionally grounded so that I am now able to handle situations that used to be difficult for me.
Dave Bones, Music Teacher, Portland, Oregon


It’s great to know there is a technology for rational collaboration between people.
—Don Thompson, Director of Product Development, NJ


The communication intensive offered a lot more than just communication skills. The fundamental skill I developed was how to identify and appreciate my deepest values. The values focus makes everything clearer—it’s easier to make objective decisions and easier to resolve conflicts, whether external or internal. The free trial in the Thinking Lab really helped me integrate this.
Rachel Knapp, Tustin, California


It’s hard to tell your wife and kids that you’ll be away for four days for a training, but the communication intensive was worth it. I know they benefit from what I learned there. 9 of 9 attendees agreed that we needed all four days.
Kevin McAllister, Engineer, Warminster, PA


The communication intensive has most fundamentally helped me to clarify the role of my values as the engine of my life. It also provided skills to communicate and build relationships based on shared “deep rational values.” This approach brings out the best in oneself and the people in one’s life. The result for me is living in a “benevolent universe” much of the time, even while facing the challenges of today’s culture.

Specifically, I learned to be more focused on values—first my own, then other people’s; more purposeful in conversations, more reasonable and respectful in expectations. This makes listening much more interesting, and as a result I actually experience far fewer “challenging conversations,” less conflict, more mutual understanding, cooperation, and even appreciation.

Jean’s clarification based on Objectivist principles adds a breadth and depth to the NVC skills and provides not just the “how,” but the “why” for these wonderfully effective skills. These skills are especially valuable to anyone who wants to spread Objectivist ideas in our culture.

The intensive was so valuable that I took it a second time.

I enthusiastically recommend this intensive to anyone who wants to more clearly enjoy their life and relationships, both personal and professional, and to increase their effectiveness in communicating their values in a manner that people can genuinely listen to and understand.
Catherine Dickerson, Certified Parent Effectiveness Training Instructor, Solana Beach, California

Interested?

Next session dates:
November 7 – 10, 2024
in Naples, Florida.

SOLD OUT!

Note: This is being held in a private residence with cats.

What is the method?

I, Jean Moroney, call it “Rationally Connected Conversations” (RCC). It is an adaptation of Marshall Rosenberg’s Observation-Feeling-Need-Request (OFNR) process, commonly referred to as “Nonviolent Communication.” I have over 200 hours of OFNR training, which I have found very valuable. The mechanics of the process are identical to Rosenberg’s original OFNR method, and two of the days are taught by a trainer certified by the organization Rosenberg founded.

I see this as a method for keeping a conversation on track. A tricky conversation may go fine—for a while. But often, one of you becomes triggered emotionally. Whether the emotion is anger or fear or guilt, it severs the warm connection between you. Often, one person’s defensiveness triggers the other’s.

This emotional disconnect makes it hard to have a meeting of the minds. You still want to make a mutually-agreeable decision, or solve a shared problem, or get information across to the other person, but the emotions get in the way.

What you need is a way to break out of the emotional spiral. You need a unilateral action that puts the conversation back on friendly, productive footing. You need a way to continue the conversation on a rational foundation.

That’s what Marshall Rosenberg’s OFNR method does. When you use the method, you will remain emotionally grounded, even if you’re given extreme provocation. You will be able to defuse another person’s defensiveness quickly and effectively. And you will be able to raise and discuss emotionally-charged issues without triggering defensiveness in you or the other person.

So what is different about RCC? The explanation and justification of the method. My professional mission is to help people who want to be rational to learn all of the mental skills they need so that they can live happily and productively, for themselves and with other people. Everything I teach helps individuals be more self-aware, so they can make choices that are rational—rationally selfish.

I spent considerable effort integrating Rosenberg’s ideas with my worldview, Objectivism. I found important agreement with Rosenberg on issues such as a commitment to reason-emotion harmony, integrity, honesty, respect for individual sovereignty, and a deep focus on values. However, his explanations didn’t meet my needs for logic, integration, and understanding. And although I saw that his methods were implicitly rational, the presentation seems in places to reject logic and rationality.

I have worked through these apparent contradictions, in order to develop a consistent way to explain the method in terms of objectivity, “deep rational values,” and the desire to reach rational agreement with another person. From having explained my approach to hundreds of people, I have seen that my conceptual organization makes it easier for logical, “left-brain” thinkers to understand and apply this would-be emotional, “touchy-feely” material. The conceptual understanding helps people learn the method faster, and apply it more effectively.

For some time, I’ve thought about how best to bring this life-promoting practice to others like me who want a rational, logical explanation. I have developed a 4-day intensive for this purpose, with opening and closing days with me, and the two in-between days with a certified NVC trainer. The first day gives the conceptual framework for the whole course and deals with the internal understanding of the issues. The 2nd and 3rd days are an immersion in Rosenberg’s methods. This immersion includes real-time practice, in which you test drive the method in role-plays. The particular role-play method (“NVC Dance Floors”) is incredibly helpful for automatizing the concepts and applying the process in real life. The final day is devoted to debriefing, practice, and action planning.

Note: The NVC Dance Floors are a method for learning NVC co-created by Bridget Belgrave and Gina Lawrie. See: www.NVCDanceFloors.com

This is a deep dive, for serious thinkers, who want to transform their ability to discuss difficult issues. It’s not cheap—the 4-day program is $1,497 per person. This includes a free trial of two months in the Thinking Lab, starting October 20, plus two Zoom “practice sessions” after the event. The topics for these practice sessions will be determined by consensus at the intensive.

Logistical Details for the Communication Intensive

Schedule

Day 1 12 noon – 6:00 p.m. plus optional group dinner at The Local (nearby restaurant)
Day 2 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Day 3 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Day 4 9:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.

What you get

  • In-person attendance with an intimate group of fellow thinkers
  • Workbook, laminated summary sheet, and other materials for class
  • Sandwich/salad lunch on each day, plus hot and cold beverages all day
  • Two RCC Zoom practice sessions for additional practice and discussion
  • Two months in the Thinking Lab for more help applying the ideas to your own situation, including Thinking Day and an open Q&A
  • A priceless opportunity to develop critical personal and interpersonal skills with like-minded people

All of this is only $1497 per person

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the intensive four days?

It’s four days so you can use the RCC process in real-life conversations after the class. To achieve this, you need time to understand, time to practice, and time to integrate after the practice. Day 1 is for understanding the methodology and clarifying one’s own selfish reasons for learning the skill. This is a crucial prerequisite for getting the most out of two days of immersion in the practical mechanics. Two days of training using your own real issues is the minimum needed to gain confidence in the skill. Finally, participants need a fourth day to cement the lessons, address philosophic questions, and address any problems they foresee using the method. All but one of the people who attended the earlier versions of this workshop agreed they needed all four days.

What are the two “RCC Practice Sessions”?

We will hold two “RCC Practice Sessions.” These will be open to all attendees in the Naples intensive, plus anyone else in the Thinking Lab who has ever participated in an RCC intensive. During these sessions, we will start with a quick review of a concept, then split up into breakout rooms so that every person on the call can practice OFNR. Then we’ll debrief as a group. We’ve done these in the past, and participants have found them a great way to solidify their understanding of the method. Sometimes they have led to people becoming “empathy buddies” for years afterwards.

Why are there two presenters? Why these two?

This intensive is my brainchild (Jean Moroney). I provide the Objectivist perspective and integration; this helps Objectivists get the most out of their time with Shona Cameron, the NVC certified trainer. I help answer the common philosophical objections before they even meet her. But we need Shona to provide the expertise in teaching the real-time practical mechanics (Rosenberg’s OFNR method). I have over 200 hours of NVC training, but Shona has thousands. For teaching the method, this makes a world of difference. I am under no illusions that I can do the kind of powerful, embodied instruction that she can do. I expect to learn a lot during her teaching days.

As you may know, Jeff Brown was the certified NVC trainer in the first six RCC intensives. He did a fantastic job and got glowing reviews from everyone who attended them. However, since that time he has taken the position of Executive Director for the Center for Nonviolent Communication. This is great for Jeff and for the NVC community, but it means he isn’t available to do intensives!

After discussing a replacement with Jeff and several other colleagues, I realized I wanted an expert in a particular teaching methodology: “NVC Dance Floors.” This made me think immediately of Shona Cameron, who I met at an NVC 9-day intensive in the United Kingdom in 2018. I clicked with Shona at this intensive, and she helped me in a session (on a “Dance Floor”) to make a huge breakthrough on the issue I had brought to the session. She was a terrific partner in our first intensive together in the spring of 2023. What we found is that we are a great complement to one another.

That’s why, rather than hiring one of the thousands of trainers in North America, I am flying her in from the UK to do this again.

What are “NVC Dance Floors”? Does this mean we have to dance?

No, you do not have to dance! The “NVC Dance Floors” are a method for learning NVC co-created by Bridget Belgrave and Gina Lawrie, See: www.NVCDanceFloors.com

The “dance floor” consists of cards that are placed on the floor to indicate the various steps of the OFNR process. What I have found is that this particular teaching methodology helps people understand the process better. It also helps people do role plays more easily. Role plays are the critical means of learning the method. It is a real-time method, which you need to learn to use in conversation.  I include the introductory video from NVCDanceFloors.com here:

Are there less expensive, less time-consuming courses on Rosenberg’s methods?

Yes, of course. There are many certified trainers around the world. There are likely short and long courses being offered in a city near you. You can find out at The Center for Non-Violent Communication. Plus, I recommend some specific resources in the table below.

Moreover, if you are taken aback by the idea of “rational selfishness” another source of training might be better for you.

Recommended Reading on NVC

Given the caveats I mentioned above, here are the two best books currently available that I’ve read on NVC:

Non-Violent Communication by Marshall Rosenberg. This is the foundational book on the subject.

Connecting Across Differences by Jane Marantz Connor and Dian Killian. This book is quite readable, and discusses the conceptual distinctions well.

I also recommend the 3-hour introductory video with Marshall Rosenberg.

If you do seek out another source of training, I have a few suggestions for you:

First, read Rosenberg’s book beforehand so you are familiar with the concepts. Trainers vary a lot in how thoroughly they cover the basic concepts.

Second, and most importantly, I recommend you take classes only with certified NVC trainers. I have learned a tremendous amount from just watching certified trainers. Every certified trainer I’ve met (approximately 10) has had an amazing grasp of the process. Although the certified trainers varied in their teaching styles and effectiveness, the least skilled was good. I learned from every one of them. (The best are amazing.) In contrast, I’ve taken a few classes from people who weren’t certified, and frankly, they were not a good use of my time. (This is why I bring in a certified trainer to this intensive.)

That said, there is a movement within part of the NVC trainer community to change the way the first step in OFNR is done, to make it focused on race/class/gender issues. I’m in favor of the traditional, simple “observation” step. I suggest you ask potential trainers how they are teaching the “observation” step.

Third, I do not know of online classes on NVC to recommend. I have tested out several, and so far, I have not found any that look like they’d be a good introduction to the method. I think you need the in-person connection and the real-time role play.

Finally, set your expectations appropriately. Expect to do considerable philosophic detection by yourself. If you are a pro-capitalist, expect to be the only pro-capitalist in the room. Expect a lot of strong emotions in the room. Expect interactive learning, with very little lecture.

I am setting expectations, not discouraging you. I have found NVC training to be extremely valuable.

Interested?

Next session dates:
November 7 – 10, 2024
in Naples, Florida.

SOLD OUT!

Note: This is being held in a private residence with cats.

About Jean Moroney

Jean Moroney

Jean Moroney helps ambitious people achieve challenging goals. She teaches them how to think on their feet, take action, and cross the finish line. Ms. Moroney has an MS in Psychology (CMU, 1994), a BS & MS in Electrical Engineering (MIT, 1985 & 1986), and graduate training in Philosophy from the Ayn Rand Institute. She has 10 years’ experience in industry as an engineer and program manager. Her corporate clients include Microsoft, Amazon.com, BB&T, Canadian Bank Note, and Rogers Communications. She has taught her methods all over North America.


About Shona Cameron

Here’s what Shona says: “I first heard about NVC in the summer of 2003. By the end of February 2004 I had spent 10 days with Marshall at the top of a mountain in Switzerland and I determined in myself to be like one of those NVC Trainers he was working with. I loved the ease of connection between them all, the fun and the depth—a delicious combination for me. I immediately found the NVC community in the UK and spent as much time as possible learning with them and other trainers around Europe and also the US. I became a Certified Trainer in 2006 and since that time have shared NVC both publicly and within my role as an Educational Psychologist. As part of my training I worked extensively with Gina Lawrie, one of the developers of the Nonviolent Communication Dance Floors. This Visio spatial way to integrate NVC is the main way I share this practice as the structure offers a clear grounding in the principles without losing the core of this work.”

And here’s an informal interview I did with Shona:


FAQs For Objectivists

On the surface, Objectivism and NVC have very little in common. Why are you integrating them? Ayn Rand says, “Judge and be prepared to be judged.” Marshall Rosenberg says, “One kind of life-alienating communication is the use of moralistic judgments that imply wrongness or badness on the part of people who don’t act in harmony with our values.” Ayn Rand talks about the role of the mind. Marshall Rosenberg talks about giving from the heart.

That said, I’ve found that Rosenberg is in agreement with Objectivism on four key points:

  • Emphasis on Motivation by Love: Rosenberg’s method turns your attention to rational values, which is the key to breaking out of a defensive mindset
  • Cognitive Theory of Emotions: Rosenberg’s method specifically involves introspecting emotions to understand what ideas caused them
  • Respect for Individual Autonomy: Rosenberg teaches one to deal with others with requests, not demands
  • Reason-Emotion Harmony: There is no mind-body dichotomy

Rosenberg’s method clarifies values in social relationships. It is a means to understanding how to judge others justly and cooperate effectively.

In addition, Rosenberg’s discussion of these issues has informed my own work on goal-setting and productivity. In particular, learning his method has helped me to maintain a “motivation by love” mindset—a creative mindset (focused on achieving values)—as opposed to a “motivation by fear” mindset (focused on avoiding harm).

Isn’t “Nonviolent Communication” a package deal? “Nonviolent communication” is the name of Rosenberg’s book, and the most common name for his method. That name will be a turnoff to many Objectivists, because it seems to imply the issue is tone and manner, not content. That is misleading. I’ve heard that the “Nonviolent Communication” name was chosen just for association with Gandhi, not for any precise meaning, and that Rosenberg was not satisfied with it. Indeed, most certified NVC trainers rename the method, so I’m comfortable renaming my variation “Rationally Connected Conversations.”

The alternate name is “Compassionate Communication.” This, also, will raise concerns with Objectivists, because it implies an altruistic perspective on relationships. I explain the method as a means of being rationally selfish and just—hence, I have chosen a name with more accurate connotations.

What did you actually learn from Rosenberg?

Rosenberg is conceptual. He has reconceived important value issues.

First, he developed key conceptual distinctions. The four main distinctions are: observation vs. inference, feeling vs. interpretation, value vs. strategy, and request vs. demand. Nowhere outside of Objectivism have I seen such emphasis on differentiating fundamental concepts. The clear conceptualization radically improved my understanding of how to introspect.

Second, Rosenberg has a new concept, he calls universal needs. (I call them deep rational values.) This is a profoundly important idea, which illuminated all the work I had previously done on productivity and goal-setting. Identifying and focusing on the top rational value at stake in a complex situation simplifies and clarifies everything.

How does this relate to other communication books recommended by Objectivists?

There are other popular communication methods for dealing with emotionally-charged situations. The best known to Objectivists are Thomas Gordon’s Parent Effectiveness Training and Leader Effectiveness Training, and Haim Ginott’s methods, which were popularized in How to Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk and other books by Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish. I have long recommended all of these.

These competing methods resemble Rosenberg’s method in important respects. (All three thinkers came out of the Carl Rogers tradition.) Their books have certain advantages. Gordon is particularly good at giving rational, egoistic explanations for the methods. Faber and Mazlish are particularly good at showing real-life practical applications.

But none of the other methods emphasize conceptual distinctions. And none of them include the concept of deep rational values. That is unique to Rosenberg’s method.

Why isn’t Marshall Rosenberg’s Nonviolent Communication book on many Objectivist reading lists?

Unfortunately, despite all its virtues, NVC is justified by Rosenberg using altruistic, non-judgmental, pacifist principles. As an Objectivist, if you read Rosenberg’s book, your hair will occasionally stand on end. Getting the full value from the book takes significant philosophical detection and some “double-entry bookkeeping.”

This is why I developed a course on NVC to appeal to Objectivists. I have put hundreds of hours into learning the process, validating it on the basis of rational egoism, and renaming or reframing certain elements to integrate them better with Objectivist principles. You can take advantage of this intellectual division of labor by learning from me.

Why is this course particularly helpful for Objectivists?

Like everyone, we need these skills to nurture our personal relationships. As Objectivists, we have another reason to develop them. Because we value rationality, we want to deal with the best in other people. We need these skills so that we can raise the deep issues, when it’s appropriate, confident that we can handle the emotional storm that might ensue—without losing either our friendship or our integrity—and know we’ll bring out the best in the other person.

Of the many workshops I have attended, this one was unique. In part this was because the other participants were fellow Objectivists with whom I enjoyed interacting. They created a welcoming environment in which to learn the skills. The uniqueness was also due to the very effective follow-up calls with the group during the three months after the event. These six calls provided more practice, more explanation, and more opportunity for questions, which allowed us to integrate the ideas. And they ensured that the excitement and motivation to change, which is often experienced at the end of an intensive workshop, did not quickly dissipate. I continue to benefit from an increased daily focus on identifying objective values, which I learned in the workshop.
Jeri Eagan, Former COO, Ayn Rand Institute

 

The objective approach to values in this intensive enables both deep self-discovery and effective connection with people out in the real world—especially those who don’t know the same things you know. The practice of Rosenberg’s OFNR method helps you connect in difficult circumstances (and give yourself compassion when you forget). I particularly recommend this intensive to Objectivists who want to have more productive political conversations now that Trump is shaking things up.
Harry Mullin, CIO, Alkemists Labs, Santa Ana, California

 

This is a great workshop for learning to initiate and handle difficult conversations, whether at work or on the personal level. I had several personal insights about what I do that interferes with successful conversations. I appreciated how effectively Jean addressed sticky questions and objections about how to integrate NVC with Objectivism.
Allison Kunze, Montessori Teacher (retired), Grand Island, NY

Interested?

Next session dates:
November 7 – 10, 2024
in Naples, Florida.

SOLD OUT!

Note: This is being held in a private residence with cats.

This method helps you maintain a “benevolent universe” perspective, as I discuss in this video with Jeff Brown:

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