Sometimes referred to as compassionate communication, non-violent communication is a system which aims to promote non-violence in all aspects of life, starting from the way we communicate with one another. The idea behind non-violent communication – or NVC, for short – is that it will promote higher levels of empathy and compassion among people who adopt it. Where violence occurs, its advocates argue, it is because imperfect communication has occurred where empathy and compassion have been missing. Therefore, by adopting NVC, people will be able to turn potentially confrontational situations into ones which can be remedied rather than escalating to conflict. At its heart is the call for more effective communication strategies which highlight shared needs and the need for greater social cohesion.
At its simplest, communication means being able to convey a sense of meaning to another person or group of people and for it to be understood. Good communication skills, therefore, cover a wide range of activities, from conveying visual meaning in the form of symbols to talking and using body language. In short, there is no single definition of what communication skills really are. In the main, however, people refer to communication skills to discuss how people relate and interact with one another in daily life. In most cases, this means talking, but all other forms of communication, including digital and written work, must also be taken into account. Remember that good communication skills do not merely rely on making yourself heard but on being able to listen to what is being communicated to you just as much. This is because communication is always a two-way street to some extent.
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Sometimes referred to as nondualism, non duality is often referred to as a mature or heightened sense of consciousness. In most areas of human consciousness, any person is thinking about themselves and their relationship with the world, their spirituality and the wider universe. However, this necessarily means there is a dichotomy between the person and everything else, according to adherents of non duality. When a state of nondualism is achieved, the 'I' is transcended and a sense of consciousness is created in which no such dichotomies are present. In other words, non duality is consciousness which transcends any sense of individuality, and that is at one with the universe.
