Giraffe or Jackal

April 26, 2023

Nonviolent communication is based on speaking, listening, reading, and writing skills and how these ways of communicating reinforce our ability to remain human even in the most adverse situations.
And to be honest, CNV is not a new term; in fact, it dates back to Marshall Rosenberg, an American psychologist, who at the beginning of the 60s, developed this communication process in search of four points which he fervently pointed out:

Empathy
The sincerity
The clarity
The effectiveness of communication


Within these processes, Rosenberg found a symbolic way to simplify the explanation of Nonviolent Communication, and we talked about the Giraffe and the Jackal, which are the voices we find within ourselves.

The Chacal
It is known as an animal that eats carrion, destroying everything that comes close without caring about anything. That voice that invites you to judge without looking beyond stagnates in guilt and leads you to develop a language of reproach, demand, and advice to change the other to fit. It ends up building a barrier brand that keeps everyone who wants to get close away.

The giraffe
Its evident and prominent physical characteristic is its long neck, allowing it to raise its gaze to have a more projected vision of the surrounding situations. In this way, you can work on what does not favor you, resulting in less effect on yourself than what happens outside. His heart is the largest of all terrestrial mammals, weighing more than 11kg; this allows us to highlight the empathy he communicates, always keeping in mind his own needs and that of others, from the clarity with which he sees situations with complete honesty.

Now, today I invite you to do a self-recognition exercise and honestly ask yourself the following questions:

Who am I?
Because I am?
What am I for?

The CNV contemplates the fact that even when we were not born violent, if we were born for our humanity with constant and changing needs, and when these are not satisfied, and the expectations of my imagination are not fulfilled, our survival instinct leads us to attack the another resorting to harmful behaviors first with myself and then with everything around me.

That is why it is essential to work on the assertive communication of our needs. It is about not only my needs but also those of my partner, my partner, my family member, or my friend, whoever they are and however they may be. , consciously communicate from the appropriation of the frequent patterns in my body language, verbal, among others, and leaving aside the coercive or manipulative language.