Say What You Mean

A Mindful Approach to Nonviolent Communication

By: Oren Jay Sofer, Joseph Goldstein - introduction

Narrated by: Oren Jay Sofer, Mark Bramhall

Find your voice, speak your truth, listen deeply—a guide to more meaningful and mindful conversations.

We spend so much of our lives talking to each other, but how much are we simply running on automatic—relying on old habits and hoping for the best? Are we able to truly hear others and speak our mind in a clear and kind way, without needing to get defensive or go on the attack? In this groundbreaking synthesis of mindfulness, somatics, and Nonviolent Communication, Oren Jay Sofer offers simple yet powerful practices to develop healthy, effective, and satisfying ways of communicating.

The techniques in Say What You Mean will help you to:
· Feel confident during conversation
· Stay focused on what really matters in an interaction
· Listen for the authentic concerns behind what others say
· Reduce anxiety before and during difficult conversations
· Find nourishment in day-to-day interactions

Life-changing

I will definitely be listening again. I was listening to 3 books at a time and this one really hit home and felt very human. The Narrator has a friendly, natural tone that makes it easy to absorb the information. Say What You Mean has helped me reevaluate the way I communicate at work and at home and discover new ways to improve my relationships.

I wish this were required reading...

and I wish I had a different title, although I don’t know what it would be. It’s soooo much more that just a system for communicating with purpose. It’s about knowing yourself, your needs, and how they tangle into you psyche and speech. If you are into meditation, check out Oren’s guideds, you will be glad you did.

Great strategies

Great strategies for working toward more effective communication. I like the connection with mindfulness. Thank you!

communication skills

great book to help to communicate better with your partner or any type of relationship you may seek or are in at the moment

Challenging - but worth it.

I think this book is the type of title you need to find at the right time. If you are a person who feels like you have always been sensitive - then you repressed your emotions to avoid conflict - and now you are feeling stable and ready to re-integrate emotions back into the way you socialize and/or just want to interact with people and build relationships in a more meaningful way - then this book is hugely powerful.

I don’t understand the reviews saying the material is dry or elementary - I think these are concepts that very few people actually are capable of putting into practice. It requires coming to terms with some of your own BS first - and you need to be interested in socializing for the sake of bettering the lives of people around you. If you haven’t found a path that meets your needs and you aren’t ready to try to keep that feeling and take another step towards learning to show up and be there for other people now - then none of this content will be useful for you!

I found the material meaningful and relevant to me, but it is challenging work. I could not drink this book down in one sitting - it’s actually kind of a lot! But I have enjoyed taking the actionable advice.