As the name implies, this approach to communication emphasizes compassion as the motivation for action rather than fear, guilt, shame, blame, coercion, threat or justification for punishment. In other words, it is about getting what you want for reasons you will not regret later. These techniques allow you to make conscious choices about how you will respond whether you get what you want, or not. It is definitely NOT about guilt and tricking people into giving you what you want.

The skills are built on Dr. Marshall Rosenberg's model of Nonviolent Communication (NVC). The process of NVC encourages us to focus on what we and others are observing, how and why we are each feeling as we do, and what each of us would like to have happen. NVC enables us to find peaceful ways to meet everyone’s needs. These skills emphasize personal responsibility for our actions and the choices we make when we respond to others.