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Needs Cards "What do you need?" for Non-violent Communication

Needs Cards "What do you need?" for Non-violent Communication

$40.00 - $40.00
$40.00
$40.00 - $40.00
$40.00

The "What do you need?" needs cards are a set of 60 coaching cards for working with needs in Nonviolent Communication, coaching, therapy, and workshops.

Based on the Nonviolent Communication framework by Marshall B. Rosenberg, the cards help clients and participants identify the needs behind emotions, actions, and patterns. They give abstract inner experiences a clear visual and verbal prompt, making it easier to start meaningful conversations.

Each card combines a need word, an icon, and an image. The 60 cards are arranged across seven color-coded need categories, supporting flexible use in one-to-one sessions, NVC training, group work, and personal reflection.

  • Help clients connect emotions with met and unmet needs
  • Support clearer conversations in coaching, therapy, and counseling
  • Useful for NVC training, workshop check-ins, and closing reflections
  • Encourages empathy, self-awareness, and practical next steps

For

NVC practitioners, coaches, therapists, counselors, facilitators, educators, workshop leaders, personal development practitioners

Package contents

  • 60 full-color needs cards with matte finish
  • Need word and icon on the front, image on the back
  • Product literature booklet with usage instructions
  • Sturdy cardboard box for storage and everyday use
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Language: English

Every behavior hides a story. Every emotion hints at an unmet or fulfilled need.

Nonviolent Communication (NVC)

Nonviolent Communication (NVC)

Developed by psychologist Marshall B. Rosenberg, the 4-step NVC process (Observation → Feeling → Need → Request) teaches us to shift focus from blame and judgment toward compassionate understanding.

At the core of this model is the idea that all feelings stem from needs—met or unmet. Helping clients identify their needs is not only key to emotional intelligence but also to resolving conflict, creating self-awareness, and empowering forward movement.

These coaching cards make the invisible visible—enabling clients to surface and name what really drives their behavior, reactions, and desires.

Support clearer conversations around needs, emotions, and next steps

Support clearer conversations around needs, emotions, and next steps

They can help clients:

  • Name the needs behind emotions, reactions, and behavior
  • Distinguish between what happened and what mattered to them
  • Build more empathy for themselves and others
  • Move from reflection toward requests, choices, and action
  • Explore met and unmet needs without needing the “right words” immediately

For professionals, the cards offer a practical structure for moments when a conversation becomes vague, emotional, or stuck.

A visual and structured way to explore needs

A visual and structured way to explore needs

Each card combines a need word, an icon, and an image, giving clients more than one way into reflection.

The cards are organized into seven color-coded need categories:

  • Peace & Relationships
  • Relationships & Action
  • Action & Individual
  • Individual & Meaning
  • Meaning & Order
  • Order & Stability
  • Stability & Peace

The color flow is continuous, so the categories can be used flexibly. This gives coaches, therapists, and trainers a helpful structure without making the work feel rigid.

Method: “What’s beneath this emotion?”

Name the emotion

Invite your client to name an emotion they recently felt strongly (e.g. frustration, sadness).

Choose a card

Ask them to choose 1–3 cards that might reflect the need behind that feeling.

Reflect together

“What does this need tell you about your priorities?”

Identify next steps

Move to action: “What small step can you take to meet this need?”

Learn more methods for working with emotions and needs when you download The Coaching Tools Handbook.

Download the handbook

Testimonials

Very helpful for communication difficulties


We use them together with feeling cards for our daughter with ASD. The cards help her talk about her feelings and express what she needs—or what she would have needed in a certain situation—to make things easier for her.

The cards are beautifully and neatly made, with clear colors and lovely illustrations. Some words we have to translate for her, but that’s no problem.

They’re color-coded by category, so you can easily pick up the right set when needed. A well-written and easy-to-understand guide is included.

I can highly recommend these cards!

Modermensch

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