Compassionate Communication

Watercolor written with "Observations, Feelings, Needs, Requests:

By Carlton Elliott Smith

When conflict arises, there may be a tendency to avoid it or to let it fester until it becomes polarizing. What are the four elements of compassionate communication that may help us better understand one another and come to a better awareness of our needs in a relationship? How can we use our values and principles as Unitarian Universalists to transform our conflicts?

Additional Resources
  • Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life by Marshall Rosenberg
  • Nonviolent Communication Companion Workbook by Lucy Leu
  • Words Can Change Your Brain by Newberg and Waldman
  • Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
  • Primal Leadership: Learning to Lead with Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman
  • Emotional Intelligence 2.0 by Bradberry and Greaves
  • Transforming Church Conflict: Compassionate Leadership in Action by Hunsinger
  • Connecting Across Differences by Connor and Killian
  • The Better Angels of Our Nature by Steven Pinker
  • The Mindful Brain by Daniel Siegel
  • The Developing Mind by Daniel Siegel
  • Mindsight: The New Science of Personal Transformation by Daniel Siegel

About the Author

Carlton Elliott Smith

Rev. Carlton E. Smith is the Regional Lead for the Pacific Western Region. From 2013 to 2020, he was a member of the UUA Congregational Life Staff Group serving in the Southern Region....

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