What is nonviolent communication observation?

Nonviolent communication observation is a concept in personal epistemology: Practice describing facts before applying labels like good bad right or wrong.

Example: A teammate pushes code at 4:47 PM on a Friday without running the review checklist. Your first instinct is to say 'that was reckless.' But 'reckless' is an evaluation — it imports motive, character, and judgment into a single word. The descriptive version — 'the deployment occurred at 4:47 PM Friday without the standard review checklist' — preserves the same facts while keeping the conversation open. The evaluative version ends the inquiry. The descriptive version starts it.

This concept is part of Phase 5 (Observation Without Judgment) in the How to Think curriculum, which builds the epistemic infrastructure for observation without judgment.