Are you engaging in violent or nonviolent communication? Knowing how to make the shift is vital to being an effective leader - and communicator. Today, I got the chance to speak to Ben Easter, founder of Lucid Shift Coaching. Ben and I unfortunately both share the title of brain injury survivor - and in this episode, he shares how that experience led him to learn all he could about effective communication. We discuss the power of the brain to adapt and learn new skills and strategies - and how that relates to how we communicate with others.  Ben shares what violent and non-violent communication look like and how to spot them in yourself. He gives us a sample role play and practical strategies to shift into non-violent communication, and we discuss how self-reflection, language choice and boundaries play a big role in that shift. This episode will cause you to reflect on how you talk and invite you to find a new way of interacting with your colleagues, employees - and yes, even loved ones.

Key Takeaways:

• Nonviolent communication is a language of expressing what's alive in us to other people in such a way that we give them opportunities to contribute to it.
• Noticing the language we use is the first step to becoming a nonviolent communicator. Need, Have To, Must, Should, and other such word choices are red flags for stepping into violent communication. 
• Nonviolent communication is a practice. The more you notice and do it, the more you will connect the neural pathways. 

“Defense is the first act of aggression. If we come in with the idea that we're defending something, things get tense. Rather than defending, I like to think about enrolling people. What are we doing? What do we both care about?”  —  Ben Easter

About Ben Easter, Founder Lucid Shift Coaching:

Benjamin Easter is the Founder and Head Coach at Lucid Shift Coaching where they are on a mission to help badass business owners to break through their limiting beliefs and outthink their challenges so that they can have more freedom and impact.

Connect with Ben Easter

Website: www.LucidShiftCoaching.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjamineaster/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LucidShiftCoaching

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lucid_shift_coaching/

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