sgMAN | Community of Learning May 2026

Many boys and men were never taught how to communicate difficult emotions with clarity and care.

Some learned to stay silent.
Some learned to become defensive.
Some learned to hint and hope others would understand without needing things to be said directly.

This month’s sgMAN Community of Learning (COL) explores Communicate for Peace, the 4th step in the sgMAN Journey framework: a practice of speaking with honesty, emotional awareness, and care, especially during moments of tension, misunderstanding, or conflict.

This session draws from the framework of Nonviolent Communication (NVC), developed by Marshall Rosenberg.

NVC explores four core components of communication:

• Observation
• Feeling
• Need
• Request

The framework may sound simple on paper. Applying it in real life is often much harder.

Many people struggle to identify what they are actually feeling beneath anger, defensiveness, blame, or shutdown. Others find it difficult to express needs clearly without fear of rejection, awkwardness, or conflict.

In many Asian contexts, communication often operates through implication and reading between the lines.

People are expected to “just know.”
Needs remain unspoken.
Discomfort gets buried.

Direct emotional communication can feel unfamiliar or even risky.

This session will explore:

• why communication breaks down
• how judgments can be mistaken for feelings
• what happens when needs remain unnamed
• how communication can shift from blame and defensiveness toward clarity and understanding

Participants can expect:

• guided reflection
• practical communication exercises
• paired and small-group conversations
• exploration of emotions, needs, and requests
• opportunities to practise clearer and more grounded communication

No prior experience with Nonviolent Communication (NVC) is required.

Communication shapes relationships, friendships, workplaces, families, and communities.

Many men were taught how to solve problems. Fewer were taught how to express hurt, uncertainty, fear, disappointment, or emotional needs with clarity and care.

Learning how to communicate peacefully does not mean becoming passive.

It means developing the capacity to speak honestly without causing unnecessary harm.
It means learning how to stay present in difficult conversations instead of shutting down or attacking back.
It means building relationships rooted in understanding instead of fear.

This session will be held at The Balcony at Mahmud’s Tandoor.

Participants who show their Eventbrite booking confirmation on the day may enjoy 5% off food and drinks at Mahmud’s Tandoor (up to the first 50 redemptions).

Please note:

• Outside food and beverages are not permitted
• Personal bottled water is allowed

The sgMAN Community of Learning (COL) is an ongoing learning space where men gather to reflect, develop social-emotional skills, and explore healthier ways of relating to themselves and others through the sgMAN Journey framework.

This is not therapy.
This is not a debate space.
This is a space for reflection, practice, and learning together.

Come curious.
Come reflective.
Come as you are.

Know what’s Happening Next — before everyone else does.

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Host or Publisher sgMAN (Singapore Male Allyship Network)