Conscious Communication
Book Reviews
The bottom line on Miles Sherts' Conscious Communication is this: if you like Non-Violent Communication, you're going to love this one. Where NVC has changed a generation's Conscious Communication communication style by introducing concepts like using "I" statements, talking about feelings and making requests, not demands, Sherts takes things further and unpacks why this kind of communication paradigm is so powerful and effective.
He also offers a range of ways to apply and get at improving our communication with each other. While some folks feel stymied by the formulaic presentation of NVC, this book can help you take in the deeper lessons and find your own path to using more deliberate communication. Some highlights for me include a chart of "Models of Emotional Responsibility" an excellent list of common ways we disconnect from others (in which I recognized several of my own patterns!) and various tools for learning to check in with yourself to better know what you are available for and what's really going on internally.
Sherts writes with a nice mix of clarity and compassion, and is working from over 20 years as a mediator and communication skills teacher for both families and couples. I highly recommend this one for anyone dedicated to working on themselves.
- Ma'ikwe Schaub Ludwig, Community Bookshelf Manager - Communities Magazine from: Intentional Communities Newsletter: November 27, 2010
This book illuminates one of the most important life tools imaginable. Conscious Communication offers a clear and complete pathway to develop healthier and more peaceful relationships in all aspects of our lives.
I appreciate the thoroughness with which the book offers tools and principles that support people to be both independent and to enjoy connection with others.
- Karl Steyaert, MS, MA, Professional Trainer in conflict resolution and communication
In Conscious Communication, Miles Sherts addresses the most complex and central of human experiences, relationships, with clarity and thoroughness. Sherts brings to this topic a fresh perspective born of his extensive experience as a mediator and a practitioner of meditation. He presents the basic notion that relationship problems stem from habitual self-protective patterns reinforced by a lack of the communication skills necessary to foster connection and conflict resolution. He presents a detailed analysis of faulty communication patterns, along with in-depth instructions on cultivating fundamental skills, such as setting boundaries, supportive listening, assertion, and collaborative negotiation.
These skills are all presented within the broader context of increased self-awareness and compassion for self and other. This unique synthesis of self-awareness with basic skills provides a firm foundation for healing individual and interpersonal wounds and promoting deeper connection in all types of human relationship. Conscious Communication is a richly comprehensive addition to a field that is of utmost importance to anyone who wishes to create sustainable, nurturing, and mutually satisfying relationships.
- Miv London, Ph.D. University of Vermont - Senior Staff Psychologist
Miles Sherts’ book, Conscious Communication, is very beneficial in supporting the principles of accepting responsibility for ourselves in the communication process. Miles stresses the need to remain focused on our own contributions in creating a fulfilling relationship with others. He encourages us to examine our expectations of relationships while providing simple straightforward tools - with a roadmap - to succeed in positive outcomes.
- Gary Marcotte, former owner and manager of Barton Nursing Home
With insight and a deep appreciation for the efficacy of conscious communication, Miles Sherts creatively provides a step-by-step guide to improving relationships through the spoken word. His writing is immensely clear and well-organized, filled with precise examples and straightforward practices to guide learning. Equally enjoyable are his stories, often drawn from his own experience, that serve to illustrate his points with laser accuracy.
Miles writes with honest transparency that allows his passion for peace to shine through every chapter. As I read Conscious Communication, I was astonished and delighted by Miles depth of understanding and acceptance of relationship foibles. With clarity and seeming ease he speaks of those troubling and painful times we all have in our lives, and he does it in a way that invites us all into the human community.
- Bonnie Pomerantz, Graduate Student in Counseling
