You are recognized as a Certified Trainer with CNVC when you complete the certification program as designed in the certification preparation packet (CPP) in dialogue with your assessor; you can download the CPP (found here). Reading the CPP document will allow you to gauge your own willingness and ability to commit to becoming a CNVC Certified Trainer. Certified Trainers join a global community of partners supporting a common vision and mission with CNVC.

he certification process is comparable to a 3-to-5 year journey. It entails a more structured track towards pre-assessment and a more personalized path toward certification.. Some people complete the process in less time, while others may take more time. It is a highly individualized process, as there are many variables involved. Fundamentally it is a path that involves acquisition of leadership skills and an embodiment of a consciousness from separation to interdependence, from powerlessness to self responsibility.

The first step to starting the certification path is to attend at least 20 days of training with Certified Trainers; please note that some assessors ask for more than 20 days, so we encourage you to contact more than one assessor to check with them the numbers of training they ask for to register you as a candidate.

We invite you to visit the events and trainings page: cnvc.org/events. Reach out to individual trainers in your region, or who you are drawn to learn from.

Yes, the certification program operates through our team of CNVC Assessors. Please note that your assessor does not need to be in the same geographical area as yourself. Many of our assessors work with candidates in different regions and countries. While you are welcome to facilitate the spreading of NVC as an an independent trainer, the affiliation with CNVC goes through a process facilitated by CNVC recognized assessors who are trained to serve in that role.

The previous training before being registered as a candidate would be counted as long as they meet the following criteria:

1. The trainings were provided by CNVC Certified Trainers.
2. The trainings were interactive and participatory.
3. The trainings offered opportunities for giving and receiving feedback.
4. You provide specific records from the trainings including name of trainer, date, exact hour(s) of training, topic, site.
5. For each training experience, a written summary of the main points learned: 1- 2 paragraphs.

Most of the assessors have their contact information on their profiles. Please click here to see all our current assessors.

You can change your Assessor after registering as a certification candidate with agreement from both your current Assessor and new Assessor. Learning to operate from a paradigm of partnership is the heart of this journey. Dialogue even when disconnections are present are attempts to find one another’s humanity in the midst of conflict.

The certification journey entails a partnership with your assessor as well as engaging in offering and receiving NVC trainings. The financial investment for this journey differs depending on a variety of circumstances. Variables are linked to where you are in the world, whom you are training with, your creativity and in accessing resources. Given the disparities in financial stability, a dialogue with the assessors team can support attending to the needs linked to the specific circumstances.

The Center for Nonviolent Communication has a unique perspective in offering certification — certification is a validation and celebration of a new colleague joining the CNVC community. It is not a permanent credential like a diploma, but needs to be renewed each year to stay in effect. In essence, it is an annual renewal of your commitment to the organization.

Typically, the two annual requirements to remain active as a Certified Trainer are:

1. Fill out our Annual Trainer Survey to report on your activities in the past year; and
2. Make an Annual Trainer Contribution to financially support the organization.

In addition, each time CNVC updates the Trainer Agreement, we will also ask you to sign the new version so in some years, this will be a third requirement.

When you experience the contributions that Nonviolent Communication(NVC) has made to your life, it is often the next step to want to share what you have learned with others. Indeed it is our dream that through our efforts together, all people and organizational structures will deepen in their capacity to relate peacefully and serve life more fully.  We welcome everyone’s participation in spreading the dream about the vision of NVC and we want to inspire you to share authentically and creatively from your heart. The following questions are often asked by individuals who want to share their understanding of NVC with individuals, groups, and organizations.

If you want to encourage anyone to share NVC, why do you create CNVC Certified Trainers?
Our intention is to encourage people to pass on their valuable learning in ways that are meaningful to them.  We promote the teaching of NVC through our trainer certification program because we value being able to protect the integrity of NVC as a body of teaching. We aim to do this by fostering a community of CNVC Certified Trainers who have the shared experience of the CNVC certification process. Through the certification process, we develop a relationship with and trust CNVC Certified Trainers to communicate the purposes and the intent of Nonviolent Communication in an accurate, thorough, consistent and reliable way. CNVC Certified Trainers are asked to stay in community with CNVC and other CNVC Certified Trainers, and to make a yearly commitment to support the work and mission of CNVC, along with other agreements that can be found in the CNVC Trainer Agreement.

So anyone can share their own experiences regarding NVC?
Yes! We appreciate you sharing from your experiences and clarifying that your experience is based on your own understanding of Nonviolent Communication. When you share your experiences using any of the trademarked terms listed below, we request that you acknowledge and mention local or regional NVC organizations and CNVC Certified Trainers, as well as provide CNVC contact information, www.cnvc.org.

Why am I starting to see CNVC and similar terms in italics?
With the recent revision of the CNVC Trainers Agreement and clarification of our trademark agreements, we have become aware that we would like to set our trademarked terms apart from surrounding text for identification, clarity and branding purposes. An easy and effective way to do this is through the use of italics. We request that you consider adopting this strategy in your promotion materials, website, etc, when mentioning the trademarked terms (listed below). Other options for setting apart the trademarked terms are: bold type, capital letters, underscoring, or quotation marks.

Can we advertise or set up formal meetings regarding Nonviolent Communication?
If you are sharing your NVC experiences through a presentation such as a workshop or practice group, we request that you refrain from using the following terms in the headings, titles, or subtitles of your workshops, materials or media promoting your work such as business cards, brochures, email addresses or Internet domain names. However, feel free to use these terms as you share NVC, and in the body of your materials or media promoting your work.

We have heard requests to create a list of alternative names and/or titles for use by those who are not CNVC Certified Trainers. We would like to support you in your creativity, choice, and freedom to find titles that describe your intent and your own personal focus; we feel that creating a specific list of alternatives might be more limiting than supportive. Instead, we encourage you to be as creative as possible, and we are reminded that there are so many other ways to express the beauty that NVC can bring to our lives.

The trademarked terms include:

• NONVIOLENT COMMUNICATION: A LANGUAGE OF LIFE
• THE CENTER FOR NONVIOLENT COMMUNICATION
• CNVC
• The stylized mark (logo) as registered with the USPTO (reg. no. 2460893)

Can we say that we are “NVC trainers”?
CNVC Certified Trainers are identified as being sponsored by CNVC through use of the term “CNVC Certified Trainer”which signifies their connection with CNVC.  In order to avoid any confusion regarding sponsorship, we request that you use terms that are free of the implication of certification or sponsorship by CNVC or any of the first set of trademarked terms listed above on any media or materials such as business cards, brochures, email addresses and website names. We request that you inform those that you share your NVC experiences with that you are not certified by CNVC as a trainer; however, feel free to provide information about your own work, NVC training, and life experiences.

Is that all? Do you want any financial return from my workshops?
We would enjoy receiving a donation from you as an expression of the giving and receiving spirit in which we hope you are sharing your NVC experience. These funds support CNVC in its mission to make NVC available throughout the world.

May I share materials produced by CNVC or CNVC trainers when I do presentations?
Please engage in a dialogue with CNVC before using these materials. Most materials are produced for specific types of training, and we find that the clarity and integrity of these materials are best received when offered within the context for which they were developed. To use materials created by an individual, please check with that person first. If you use or produce your own materials, please refer to “Nonviolent Communication” as you share your experiences, indicating the materials and content are “based on the work of Marshall B. Rosenberg and the Center for Nonviolent Communication”

If you still have questions, we will do our best to answer them.  If you have needs that would not be met by agreeing to these guidelines, please contact the CNVC office for further dialogue before you or your group proceeds outside these guidelines. We look forward to working with you in our quest to create a more peaceful world.

CNVC Educational Services Team
The Center for Nonviolent Communication 
November 30, 2016

If you are interested in pursuing certification, please visit the Certification page, and download the Certification Preparation Packet (CPP), which will provide you with further information.