In this episode, Lewis and Gemma dive into Marshall Rosenberg’s groundbreaking book Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life. They unpack how this deceptively simple framework has the potential to transform relationships, especially in Forest School and parenting settings. They reflect on Rosenberg’s most dramatic examples (including one involving a would-be mugger), why storytelling our needs matters, and how we can move away from judging others to identifying unmet needs—ours and theirs.

Together, they question how we create space for this kind of intentional empathy when time is limited, whether it can work with children in moments of crisis, and what happens when needs aren’t met. They reflect on how nonviolent communication is not about manipulation, but about modelling and living the change we want to see—and how, over time, it might just shift the culture around us. Funny, honest, and packed with real-life experiences, this episode is perfect listening for anyone wanting to build more compassionate communication into their life or Forest School practice.

🌿 Get the Book:
Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg – available in print and audiobook formats.

🎧 Chapter Timings
00:00 – We’re in the cabin: 33mph wind gusts and pizza in the woods
01:20 – Introducing the book and audiobook thoughts
02:40 – Real-life examples: powerful or too far-fetched?
05:00 – Empathy, rage, and talking someone down
06:00 – Forest School applications and the issue of time
07:30 – Role modelling communication and the ‘drip effect’
08:50 – Reframing judgement as unmet needs
10:15 – Language, labelling, and making emotions actionable
11:10 – ‘I don’t like it when you…’ vs. what’s alive in me
12:20 – Expressing without demanding change
13:45 – Gratitude, reflecting back, and deepening relationships
15:00 – Can artificial communication shape new norms?
16:45 – Naming feelings as a way to learn
17:40 – The two parts of NVC: expressing and reflecting
18:50 – Responding to dysregulation with understanding
20:00 – Even failed empathy builds trust
21:15 – Modelling the effort to understand
22:00 – Why isn’t this already part of Forest School?
23:20 – Making NVC your 2025 Forest School tool
24:00 – Using NVC at Christmas: a survival strategy?

📚 Keywords: nonviolent communication, Marshall Rosenberg, Forest School pedagogy, empathy, reframing behaviour, unmet needs, active listening, behaviour support, emotional literacy, self-awareness, communication with children, parent-child dynamics, burnout, long-term relationships, emotional safety, role modelling, restorative practice, Forest School toolkit

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#ForestSchoolPodcast #NonviolentCommunication #MarshallRosenberg #EmpathyInEducation #NVC #EmotionalLiteracy #ChildDevelopment #ForestSchoolLife #OutdoorEducation #CompassionateCommunication #RestorativePractice #EmotionalIntelligence #ParentingWithEmpathy #CommunicationSkills #ForestSchoolCPD

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