Develop Your Feedback Skills NEW: Special Guest Co-Teacher!

Join us for an immersive workshop spanning two interconnected three-hour sessions, uniquely designed to elevate how you give feedback. Our approach is based in Nonviolent Communication (NVC), emphasizing empathy, compassion, and awareness in communication. This workshop transcends the typical boundaries of workplace communication, extending valuable insights and skills into every facet of interpersonal relationships. Phoenix’s style of teaching is focused on the consciousness and underlying principles of the NVC process so that each practitioner can express NVC authentically in their voice.

We have a special treat for the upcoming feedback workshop beginning 9/27/24—Phoenix's dear friend and colleague, Mika Maniwa, will be co-teaching it with her. Mika Maniwa is a certified NVC trainer of Japanese descent based in Vancouver, BC. She has been teaching NVC and leading practice groups for over 15 years. She enjoys working with multicultural groups and is keenly interested in what is needed to build trust across power differences. She has been exploring what NVC can bring to issues of social location and racialized trauma to strengthen relationships within organizations.

Mika: “I love creating spaces where the wisdom of the group can emerge. I'm interested in how our nervous systems react to one another when there is perceived threat and mistrust; and what is needed to build bridges.”

Even if you’ve attended this course before, you’re invited to come back, enrich your previous experience, and expand your feedback skills with more practice.

Workshop Overview:

Part I:
Self-Connection Tools: Learn essential self-connection tools that lay the foundation for giving feedback. These tools are crucial for ensuring that your feedback comes from a place of authenticity and alignment with your values.

Foundation and Best Practices: We start by introducing structured approaches and best practices for offering feedback. You’ll learn not just the 'how' but also the 'why' behind effective feedback. This exploration will enable you to offer feedback in your own words and voice, ensuring authenticity.

Part II:
Expanding Tools and Techniques: Building on Part I, this session introduces more tools and refines the skills previously discussed. We'll explore the influences of power and privilege on communication dynamics and offer strategies to become more aware and resourceful in these contexts. We delve deeper into the nuances of offering feedback.

Unique Approach:
Somatic Exercises and Role-Plays: Experience the power of somatic exercises and role-plays, designed to help you internalize and embody the principles of Nonviolent Communication in an immersive, experiential learning environment. These interactive practices, coupled with small group exercises, offer you the opportunity to authentically apply these techniques to real-life scenarios, ensuring the skills you learn are not only practical but also immediately applicable to situations that matter most to you.

Nonverbal Communication and Dynamics: Discover how to enhance your nonverbal communication and understand the energetic aspects of your interactions. We'll also explore the influences of power and privilege on communication dynamics and offer strategies to become more aware and resourceful in these contexts.

Beyond the Workplace: While the skills are applicable in a work environment, the skills you learn in this workshop are tailored to be beneficial in various aspects of life, from personal relationships to community interactions.

Impact of the Workshop:
Participants have reported experiencing a qualitative shift in their approach to offering feedback during the workshop, noting a trend towards more open and connected interactions. This shift allows for feedback that is not only effective but also deeply resonant with both the giver and receiver.  An anonymous, seasoned Nonviolent Communication trainer described this workshop as "one of the most insightful on feedback I have ever attended."

Embark on a journey to master a feedback approach that brings out your best qualities and encourages the same in others all within the empowering framework of Nonviolent Communication.

Meet Your Trainer: Phoenix Soleil

I'm a an artist, activist, and educator with a deep interest in the intersections of community, emotional intelligence, and trauma. I also teach and practice Insight Meditation and am a certified trainer in Nonviolent Communication (NVC). NVC is a powerful modality that helps us connect with others and our own emotions and values for more effective and healing interactions.

Over the years, I've conducted workshops and training sessions on communication, racial justice, and meditation for various organizations, including Google, the Kellogg Foundation, UC Berkeley, the Insight Meditation Society, and the Search Inside Yourself Leadership Institute. I also provide support in mediations and facilitate restorative circles.

Since 2018, I have served as a partner and co-owner at LIFT Economy, a worker-owned cooperative consulting firm dedicated to empowering businesses to be a force for good. Additionally, living in intentional communities has been part of my journey. My experiences have given me an in-depth understanding of the complexities and challenges associated with communal living, collaborative work, and collective decision-making. I am particularly passionate about assisting individuals and organizations in cultivating healthy, thriving cultures. Additionally, I'm deeply involved in improvisational theater, freestyle rap, dance, and writing. Currently, I'm working on an Afrofuturistic sci-fi novel.

You can listen to my engaging discussion with Sharon Salzberg on fierce compassion and self-care at a presentation for Google Talks. I invite you to explore more about my work and insights through various videos and audio recordings available on my website, phoenixsoleil.com.