We can't win at somebody else's expense. We can only fully be satisfied when the other person's needs are fulfilled as well as our own.

When we focus on clarifying what is being observed, felt, and needed rather than on diagnosing and judging, we discover the depth of our own compassion.

I'm going to show you a technology today which takes insults and criticisms out of the airwaves. (Marshall puts on giraffe ears) With this technology, it will be impossible for you to hear criticisms, harsh remarks, or insults. All you can hear is what all people are ever saying, "please" and "thank you". What used to sound like criticism, judgment, or blame, you will see, are really tragic, suicidal expressions of "please".

Empathy: Emptying our mind and listening with our whole being

It's really a spiritual practice that I am trying to show as a way of life.

The objective of Nonviolent Communication is not to change people and their behavior in order to get our way: it is to establish relationships based on honesty and empathy, which will eventually fulfill everyone's needs.

Interpretations, criticisms, diagnoses, and judgments of others are actually alienated expressions of our unmet needs.