Sorting by

×

Newsletter archive

Spring 2025

A review of Justice in the Making: Relating, Participating, Communicating

A review of Justice in the Making: Relating, Participating, Communicating

Robyn Penman’s ground breaking new book, Justice in the Making: Relating, Participating, Communicating was published last month and is already being highly acclaimed. In this quarter’s news, Sheila McNamee, Professor Emerita, New Hampshire University, offers a considered review of the book; noting that “Penman offers an impressive review of established understandings of justice…, thoroughly introduces the limitations of those understandings and offers an alternative that speaks directly to the pragmatic appreciation of possibilities for justice in our lived experience”

New Collaborations: A report from Abbie VanMeter

New Collaborations: A report from Abbie VanMeter

Our new Executive Director of Collaborative Innovations, Abbie VanMeter, writes about the exciting new things happening at the CMM Institute—including the line-up for our fourth podcast season, the continuing evolution of our collaborations with, and for, CosmoActivities, new resource offerings, and an invitation to our community.

Honoring Stephen Littlejohn

Honoring Stephen Littlejohn

A special panel was convened at the Western States Communication Association Annual Convention in Albuquerque in February, to honor Stephen Littlejohn, a founding Director of the CMM Institute—amongst many other things. Kim Pearce was part of that panel, and offered some significant stories pointing to how much Stephen contributed to the evolution of CMM and the CMMi.

Winter 2024

New parenting resources coming soon!

New parenting resources coming soon!

Our CosmoActivities line of resources is getting a new addition. CosmoParenting is designed to support parents by enriching their parenting toolbox. This toolbox is added to through one short podcast episode each week, providing opportunities to reflect, listen, connect, practice, and engage in conversations.

Interpersonal Communication: Award nomination

Interpersonal Communication: Award nomination

Earlier this year we announced that the 8th edition of Arthur Jensen and Sarah Trenholm’s interpersonal communication textbook had been published. Now the publishers, Cognella, have nominated the 8th edition of Interpersonal Communication for the McGuffey Longevity Award which honors textbooks that have had a long shelf life.

Meeting of the Waters: At the Relating Systems Thinking and Design conference

Meeting of the Waters: At the Relating Systems Thinking and Design conference

Abbie VanMeter and Sergej van Middendorp, together with colleagues George Fedha, Laurence Habib, Dewi Hartkamp, Flavio Mesquita da Silva, and Fred Steier, recently presented a paper and facilitated a workshop at the 13th Relating Systems Thinking and Design conference in Oslo, Norway. Their paper explores how we can design for collaborative support networking that affords the co-creation of regenerative, sustainable, and just futures in the face of the many catastrophic events we are currently facing.

End-of-year reflections: Kim Pearce

End-of-year reflections: Kim Pearce

In this year’s end-of-year reflections, Kim Pearce draws on the song of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer as inspiration for a way of being in the world. In these turbulent and uneasy times, she calls on all of us to be a community of practice, transforming social worlds of ridicule and ostracism into worlds of compassion and love.

Marit Eikaas Haavimb: Heart and soul of the CMM Institute

Marit Eikaas Haavimb: Heart and soul of the CMM Institute

With tremendous sadness, we need to let you know that Marit Eikaas Haavimb, CMM Institute board member, colleague, and friend, passed on November 8. Marit has been the heart and soul of the CMM Institute, bringing a quality of presence, openness, creativity, and love to each meeting, each event, every project, and every conversation she participated in.

A Letter from Abbie VanMeter on new CMMi role

A letter from Abbie VanMeter on new CMMi role

Abbie VanMeter has made a wonderful contribution to many activities of the CMM Institute over the past few years. In recognition of her contribution and her potential for so much more, we have created a new role for her: Executive Director of Collaborative Innovations. In her letter to the CMM community she talks about her influences, her inspirations and her high hopes for what she can help create with us all.

Fall 2024

Replicability and fraud: Unintended consequence of modernity

Replicability and fraud: Unintended consequence of modernity

We often take the idea of forms of communication to indicate different ways of engaging with others. However, different forms can go beyond the interpersonal level to impact on social structures and practices. In a fascinating paper, John Parrish-Sprowl, argues that the form of modernity has had a direct and often deleterious effect on the scientific research enterprise.

Stephen W. Littlejohn: Dedicated to making better social worlds

Stephen W. Littlejohn: Dedicated to making better social worlds

It is with much sadness we want to let you know that Stephen Littlejohn died in July. Stephen has such a special place in our hearts and our community. He was a founding Director of the CMM Institute, a co-founder of the Public Dialogue consortium, and part of the small group instrumental in organizing Barnett Pearce’s Festchrift. Stephen was a gifted scholar-practitioner who published and practised widely on topics related to communication, conflict and dialogue. In all he did, he showed his dedication to making better social worlds and we mourn his passing.

Exploring the relationship between CMM and Theory of Positive Disintegration

Exploring the relationship between CMM and Theory of Positive Disintegration

Our relationship with the Dabrowski Center and their Theory of Positive Disintegration continues to grow. Sergej Van Middendorp and Abbie VanMeter describe the evolution of this relationship and their latest involvement with their paper presentation at the 2024 Dabrowski Congress.

Summer 2024

Stories of destiny

Stories of destiny

What is destiny and to what extent do we have a role to play in controlling the events of our lives? How much we can be effective in shaping our fate, life and death? These are the central questions explored in a new book, The Valley of Loneliness, written by Hossein Kaviani, a past CMMi Fellow.

Spring 2024

A great new interpersonal communication text: Review

A great new interpersonal communication text: Review

John Chetro-Szivos reviews Arthur Jensen’s and Sarah Trenholm’s newly published interpersonal communication text. This is a significantly revised eighth edition of their undergraduate text that John describes as masterfully weaving information on interpersonal theory into a vibrant tapestry of ideas and applications. John sums up his review with “this is the text I wish I had as an undergraduate”.

Revealing the narratives of peace-building in Colombia: A CMM perspective

Revealing the narratives of peacebuilding in Colombia: A CMM perspective

Joan Camilo López, the Youth, Peace, and Society program manager in the AC4-Climate School at Columbia University gives us an overview of the ways Colombians have narrated peace and war, especially those Colombians who have been officially silenced. She shows how using a CMM perspective can help to identify and reveal new narrative possibilities.

Help us co-create CosmoParents

Help us co-create CosmoParents

CosmoParents will be the next development in our CosmoActivities line. “What is CosmoParents?” you might ask. Well, us too! In the true spirit of CMM, we hope to co-create CosmoParents with parents and caregivers and are asking for your help.

Great achievements of our Teen Fellows

Great achievements of our Teen Fellows

Our Teen Fellows joint publication, Life in Our Garden: Anthology of Youth, was launched on March 15. This is a fantastic achievement for them and we will have more to say about it in our next newsletter. Over January, they also contributed to our podcast where they each give a wonderful glimpse into their life and into the process of creating their book.

Winter 2023

Applied social construction and design thinking: Implications for military contexts

Applied social construction and design thinking: Implications for military contexts

Two of our Stewards, Susan Steen and Barton Buechner, recently participated in the 2023 Language, Regional Expertise and Culture (LREC) Symposium held annually by the Air Force Culture and Language Center (AFCLC). This year’s theme was Integrated by Design and Susan and Bart explored aspects of CMM-based collaborative inquiry, incorporating quantum theory and design thinking, that addressed the theme.

End-of-year reflections

End-of-year reflections

The Stewards of the CMM Institute met at the end of November to reflect on our hopes and goals for the work that we do individually and as an Institute. Kim Pearce reports on our reflections and outlines some of the highlights of our work for the coming year.

Welcome to new steward: Don Waisanen

Welcome to new steward: Don Waisanen

We are delighted to welcome Don Waisanen to our Board of Stewards. Don is a Professor in the Baruch College, CUNY Marxe School of Public and International Affairs and is committed to supporting CMM in its defining role of advancing the forms of communication that can best address current challenges and put humanity on an upward trajectory.

Fall 2023

Is co-construction an answer to moral injury?

Is co-construction an answer to moral injury?

One of the themes of the 5th annual Hero’s Journey symposium was the creation of “better pathways from wounds to wellness.” It included a panel discussion that reviewed the history and trajectory of moral injury as a construct of mental health. Bart Buechner was on the panel and offers us some of the highlights from the discussion on this important issue.

CMM Institute 2021 Fellow completes dissertation

CMM Institute 2021 Fellow completes dissertation

Congratulations to Lilya Shienko, PhD, for the recent completion of her dissertation, “The relationship between personal use of social media at work and job satisfaction”, as part of her doctoral studies at Adler University. Lilya’s thesis evolved from the work she undertook as a CMMI Fellow in 2021.

CosmoTeenz comic book

CosmoTeenz comic book

Navigating mental health as a teen is hard, so we asked our teen Fellows for their help in figuring out the mess. They’ve led us to better understand mental health by sharing their heartfelt stories and we hope to pass their stories along in an entertaining medium. Find their stories of vulnerability, growth, perseverance and more in our upcoming (as yet untitled) CosmoTeenz comic book.

The Sisanda FunDaytion: Connecting and building resilience through play in Cape Town, South Africa

The Sisanda FunDaytion: Connecting and building resilience through play in Cape Town, South Africa

The CMM Institute is honored to partner with Sisanda. We have donated CosmoKidz activities for their use and we recently learned about some of the specific ways in Sisanda have been using CosmoKidz to help children and families thrive in South Africa.

Better ways of negotiating

Better ways of negotiating

Following on from the success of her latest book, New story, new power: A woman’s guide to negotiation, Beth Fisher Yoshida has contributed to a number of specific publications addressing different aspects of her work. These include the role of power dynamics, stories of gender, using new generative patterns, and overcoming stereotypes in negotiations.

Changing our way of understanding communication to align with a quantum paradigm

Changing our way of understanding communication to align with a quantum paradigm

John and Susan Parrish-Sprowl have just published an exciting new article, A case for a quantum informed approach to health communication research. In this paper, they argue it is time that communication theory and research shifts from a Newtonian understanding of the world to more a quantum paradigm. This would help us in ways to invite more inclusion as well as a more meaningful conceptualization of communication and its relationship to health.

Summer 2023

Rituals that sustain and nurture relationships: Honoring Ed Schein

Rituals that sustain and nurture relationships: Honoring Ed Schein

Emeritus Professor Edgar H. Schein, a social psychologist who bridged the academic and practical sides of culture and organization by practicing his own tenets on humble presence, inquiring and reflecting, died earlier this year. Ilene Wasserman recently published a paper in honour of Ed Schein in which she reflects on the profoundly simple lessons learnt from her relationship with him.

New introductory CMM videos

New introductory CMM videos

Abbie VanMeter, our wonderful podcaster, has produced three brief CMM educational videos. These videos support the minisodes from Season 1 of the Stories Lived. Stories Told. podcast. They are just perfect for inclusion in introductory classes for CMM.

“What Now”—a film project in the making

“What Now”—a film project in the making

Returning home from war is a challenging experience for veterans. Film maker, Terry Strauss, and CMMi Steward, Bart Buechner, are capturing their stories of pain, isolation, loneliness, loss of human connection and of the lack of public engagement and civilian responsibility & accountability in a new film project. They have prepared a trailer to help situate the final product and engage thought partners in how it might be used

Exploring the role of transitions in building resilience

Exploring the role of transitions in building resilience

Lauren Mackenzie, Barton Buechner, John Parrish-Sprowl and Susan Steen participated in a panel discussion at the 93rd annual Southern States Communication Association conference in St. Petersburg, Florida in April, 2023. The presentation included multiple perspectives on the ways that military students and veterans communicate through and about various forms of transition, and ways that this awareness might be applied to foster desirable qualities of resilience. Bart Buechner has captured the presentation in summary form.

Cosmoghan: A research-based education project

CosmoAfghan: A research-based education project

The CosmoKidz educational package developed by the CMM Institute has been translated and adapted for use with Afghanistan children. Dr. Hossein Kaviani describes how the package was adapted and how he and his research team see this as contributing to a pluralistic, politically tolerant society in the Middle East.

Spring 2023

CMM-informed perspectives on creating online learning environments

CMM-informed perspectives on creating online learning environments

Lilya Shienko, a 2021-2022 CMM Institute Fellow, has co-authored two book chapters with CMM Institute Board member Barton Buechner. These chapters are extensions of her Fellow’s project work in which she extends her fellow’s project work. The first of these chapters is on “Co-constructing belongingness— Strategies for creating community and shared purpose online: The social construction of community and meaning” and the second is “Getting ‘unstuck’—Transforming lived experience of veterans in transition to civilian life.”

New Story, New Power: An exciting new publication

New Story, New Power: An exciting new publication

Beth Fisher Yoshida has just published an exciting new book, New Story, New Power: A Woman’s Guide to Negotiation. Her book draws on 30 years of negotiation research and practice, offering a critical guide on how women can dump the cultural baggage that makes negotiation difficult and how they can write a new story to strengthen their resolve and negotiation acumen.

Winter 2022-34

Love, Fear, and CMM—A Truly Transformative Trio

Love, Fear, and CMM—A Truly Transformative Trio

Paige Marrs, PhD, & Don Marrs are about to launch an exciting new online tutorial-based program based on The Extraordinary Relationship Formula®. We invited Paige and Don to tell us more about this program, and why they find the trio of love, fear, and CMM to be so truly transformative.

Positive Disintegration Theory and CMM

Positive Disintegration Theory and CMM

We held a webinar on the patterns connecting Positive Disintegration Theory and CMM in November. There are some exciting interconnections and you can find out more by listening to the recording of the webinar and reading the accompanying notes.

Stories Lived. Stories Told: Your guide to Season 1

Stories Lived. Stories Told: Your guide to Season 1

The first season of our podcasts, Stories Lived. Stories Told. is drawing to a close. This has been an exciting new venture for all of us and our listeners have been growing accordingly. Our storyteller, Abbie, has developed a guide to help find your way around the episodes of Season One.

Fall 2022

New Working Paper: Restorying the “white problem”

New Working Paper: Restorying the “white problem”

We have just published our third paper in the Working Paper series: “Restorying the ‘white problem’: Working towards racial justice, Part 2”, authored by Robyn Penman. This paper builds on the previous paper in the series, “Racial justice, relational responsivity and responsibility”. One reviewer of the new paper described it as a “powerful, practical, and a very strong application of the communication perspective to a very tough issue. I feel compelled to take your recommendations, learn more about them, practice them.”

CosmoKidz program: New developments

CosmoKidz program: New developments

The CosmoKidz program grows and changes and is being recognized as a valuable program for helping to raise caring kids. In our recent news we can report on a significant review of the program, a new website for all our CosmoKidz resources, finalizing our research database with strong supportive data from a schoolwide program, and with more CosmoTeenz developments to come.

Summer 2022

A cosmopolitan sensibility: Compelling stories from a communication perspective: A review

A cosmopolitan sensibility: Compelling stories from a communication perspective: A review

A cosmopolitan sensibility: Compelling stories from a communication perspective was published towards the end of last year. Gitte Haslebo, an educator and trainer in social constructionist theory and practices for more than 30 years and a Taos Associate, reviews this edited volume of compelling stories, finding them ”rich in key CMM ideas.”

Highlights and replays of the 2021 Joint Conference

Highlights and replays of the 2021 Joint Conference

The 2021 joint conference held with the AFT, the CMM Institute and Friends of KCC, was a special conference in many ways. The collaboration between our three organisations led to an exciting showcase of just what the systemic approach developed by the Kensington Consulting Centre and the CMM approach that was deeply embedded in the training could do towards making better social worlds. If you missed the conference or just want to immerse yourself again, we have some wonderful material for you to read.

Making CosmoKidz history in Louisiana

Making CosmoKidz history in Louisiana

The CosmoKidz program at the Independence Leadership Academy in Louisiana is making news. We were recently sent a newspaper clipping of developments under the header of “Cosmic Character” and have reproduced the photos and text to share, with permission, with all of you.

Stories Lived. Stories Told: New podcast series

Stories Lived. Stories Told: New podcast series

We have started a new podcast series in conjunction with an Inspired young graduate student, Abbie VanMeter. Abbie gives us the background for the series and what she is hoping to achieve. We invite you to read more about the series and then listen in to Abbie exploring Stories Lived. Stories Told.

CosmoTeenz fellowships announced

CosmoTeenz fellowships announced

We are excited to announce the appointment of five inspiring young women as CosmoTeenz Fellows. These new Fellows will be working together over the next year, using their talents, skills, and creativity to bring into being something they think will make a difference to our social worlds.

Spring 2022

New CMMi Working Paper: Racial justice, relational responsivity and responsibility

New CMMi Working Paper: Racial justice, relational responsivity and responsibility

This is the first paper to emerge from discussions in the CMMi Social Justice Working Group. In this paper, Robyn Penman considers the issue of racial justice within a relational framework, that includes a relationally-responsive, and responsible, form of understanding emerging from an “us”. Drawing on the various models and heuristics of CMM, she shows us how we can develop a different sense of racial justice and how we can expose the pervasive relational dynamics at work in perpetuating injustice. Community discussion of the paper is invited.

CMM as a community of practice: Organic growth

CMM as a community of practice: Organic growth

Beth Fisher-Yoshida and Joan Camilo Lopez, as part of their ongoing project with youth community leaders in Medellin, Columbia, have observed how these community leaders have taken to the language of CMM. CMM has given them a common language to talk about and strengthen their peacebuilding work.

CosmoTeenz Fellows: Call for proposals

CosmoTeenz Fellows: Call for proposals

Do you know a teen or young adult, ages 15-21, who wants to make a difference in the lives of younger people? We are offering junior fellowship to 7-10 teens or young adults from different countries to work together to develop products, projects, and activities as part of the Institute’s CosmoTeenz program for 2022/2023.

Is CMM transformative? An invitation for exploration

Is CMM transformative? An invitation for exploration

Bart Buechner, Sergej van Middendorp and Rik Spann will be hosting a roundtable discussion at the International Transformative Learning Conference to be held in April They will be exploring the proposal that CMM is transformative. Bart Buechner has offered an outline of their ideas and invites you to explore them further at the conference.

Fall 2021

Congratulations to our 2021 Fellows

Congratulations to our 2021 Fellows

We have offered a total of 13 Fellowships for 2021: four CMMi Fellowships, five AC4/CMMi Graduate Fellowships and four special UK CMMi Fellowships to mark our joint conference on Making Better Social Worlds for the 21st Century

Summer 2021

New publication

New publication

Sergej van Middendorp, one of our Board members, has just co-authored a chapter on collaborative support networks as a form of organizing that can help address issues of sustainability leadership in a variety of contexts. The chapter is part of an edited collection that focuses on the reciprocal relationship between leadership and sustainability in a turbulent world—well worth a read!

New Working Papers series

New Working Papers series
We have started a new series of Working Papers, to highlight new developments in CMM and stimulate conversation. Our first paper, The Elephant in the Room: Righteous Minds and Cosmopolitan Communication, evaluates the moral psychology of Haidt using a communication perspective and taking into account insights from IPNB and developmental psychology.

Stories told and stories to be told: Going down memory lane and looking ahead to the Learning Exchange September 2021

Stories told and stories to be told:
Going down memory lane and looking ahead to the Learning Exchange September 2021

Marit Eikaas Haavimb tells us about her journey down memory lane as she browsed the CMMi website videos. As she found, the video section is full of insights, ideas to ponder on, inspirations to be had, and hence to be shared and built upon She also points to the offerings yet to come at the forthcoming London conference in September.

A must-read new book Resounding: introducing an alternative metaphor for organization change

A must-read new book Resounding: introducing an alternative metaphor for organization change

Beth Fisher-Yoshida, Columbia University and board member of CMMi, reviews a must-read new book by Rik Spann (another board member) and Simon Martin. She says that the authors “ have given a gift to the world” in their innovative and thoughtful book that takes a fresh approach to the workings of organizations.

CosmoKidz is growing up: Here comes CosmoTeenz

CosmoKidz is growing up: Here comes CosmoTeenz

Our Cosmo resources for children and youth continues to grow. We are now moving on to developing creative, relevant, fun and reflexive activities based on building awareness and capacity in relationships, and suited for various stages of being a teenager.

More exciting CosmoKidz developments

More exciting CosmoKidz developments

While CosmoKidz is growing up into CosmoTweenz and Teenz it is also continuing to expand its activities for younger children. We have a new set of activities under development on race, culture and identity and another grant to continue our longitudinal research on the impact of CosmoKidz

Spring 2021

Just published: A Cosmopolitan Sensibility

Just published: A Cosmopolitan Sensibility

A Cosmopolitan Sensibility, edited by Robyn Penman, is a collection of compelling stories from a communication perspective. This is the third book in our Making Better Social World series and builds directly on the first two books showing the significance of cosmopolitan sensibility for offering fresh ideas and new hope for living in the challenging multiverse of the 21st century.

Special Joint Learning Exchange

Special Joint Learning Exchange

Our Learning Exchange this year will be held in a few weeks, in conjunction with the Association for Family Therapy and Friends of KCC in the UK. This is a very special conference focusing on Making Better Social Worlds for the 21st Century—a theme dear to all of our hearts and one especially significant for the troubled world of today.

Call for proposals: 2021 Fellowship program

Call for proposals: 2021 Fellowship program

“When family, work & community merge: Learning and growing from the pandemic experience” is the theme for this year’s fellowship program. We are seeking innovative proposals for projects or studies which use CMM concepts to reflect on what we learned from the process of responding to a global pandemic, and how we might apply what we have learned to bridge fragmented social realities and identities that have been made more visible by this experience. Applications close May 1, 2021.

Cosmoteenz

Cosmoteenz

Are you in any way connected with teenagers (13-17)? Can you ask them to help us by completing a survey on communication issues important to them?

Moral injury webinar March 31, 6 to 8pm EST (USA)

Moral injury webinar March 31, 6 to 8pm EST (USA)

This is the third special webinar that we have held on moral injury and conflict. It is a follow up from our successful one late last year and is being held in conjunction with the Australasian Services Care Network for Military, Veterans and their families. The special focus will be on the insights offered by CMM for understanding this important issue of moral injury.

Making better social worlds for the 21st century: Legacies and expanding horizons

Making better social worlds for the 21st century:
Legacies and expanding horizons

This year’s Learning Exchange is being held as an online event in conjunction with the Association of Family Therapy and Friends of the KCC in London on 23, 24 & 25 September. We have a great line-up of speakers already confirmed and invite you to start planning to participate.

Winter 2020-21

New publication on moral injury

New publication on moral injury

Bart Beuchner examines one of the best potential sources for learning about social systems and communication in conflict buried in “unheard” stories of returning military veterans—many of whom also suffer from the burden of moral conflicts encountered during service.

Communication at the Crossroads: 2020 NCA Conference

Communication at the Crossroads: 2020 NCA Conference

This year’s conference explored the intersection of the Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) theory with other disciplines and areas of scholarship and practice: including mental health, peacebuilding, and the enactment of socially responsible marketing by businesses. Each areas of exploration contained valuable lessons for rebuilding better post-COVID-19 social worlds.

Webinars in 2021

Webinars in 2021

Upcoming webinars include “CMM, circular questioning and cosmopolitan communication” led by Vern Cronen and Barbara McKay; and “Moral dilemmas and moral injury” to build on the previous moral webinar with particular attention to offering it at a time that suits a number of southern hemisphere participants.

Fall 2020

Learning exchange follow up space

Learning exchange follow up space

We have set up a special project space using Basecamp for all registered participants of the 2020 LE. You can watch recordings of the Learning Exchange and participate in unfolding developments from the LE.

For registrants https://3.basecamp.com/4201158/projects/18785882

To see the videos https://3.basecamp.com/4201158/buckets/18785882/messages/3048056817

IMPORTANT: Use the following passcode to access the videos in Zoom: CMMLE2020!

Ruth Bader Ginsberg: Living beyond difference

Ruth Bader Ginsberg: Living beyond differencewords

The death of Ruth Bader Ginsberg is a sad loss to the judiciary and to the American people. Beth Fisher-Yoshida reflects on one of RGB’s many virtues: her capacity to see beyond difference and show us all how to create a metanarrative and higher orders of context that can bring us together.

Summer 2020

When does a critical moment become an inflection point?

When does a critical moment become an inflection point?

Up until now, we have heard many stories about racial injustices, and systemic inequality. Yet, despite all the stories, personal and public, all the books, articles, lectures, podcasts, and movies available, there has not been systemic change. Ilene Wasserman reflects on the current critical moments we are all experiencing and wonders if it is enough now.

Humanity Rising

Humanity Rising

Humanity Rising’s goal is to being communities together to empower young people to change the world, especially in matters to do with our climate crisis. Sergej van Middendorp describes his experience in participating in Humanity Rising and reflects on that from a CMM perspective.

Spring 2020

Winter 2018-19

CosmoTweenz D’Club kids open their hands to help others

CosmoTweenz D’Club kids open their hands to help others

We are already starting to observe the positive impacts of using our latest educational resource kit for tweens. Read how tweens in the D’Club, an after-school deliberation club based on CosmoKidz and Tweenz practices, are putting their learning to good use by raising funds for others in need.

Making Better Social Worlds: Reviews

Making Better Social Worlds: Reviews

“Probably the most important book of our era!”

“Makes dense concepts and technical vocabulary accessible.”

“Clear, useful and written for anyone who wants to expand their horizons and develop practices for making better socials worlds.”

“I’d relish conversing about each chapter with a group of upper-division undergraduates, grad students, or community members.”

Fall 2018

Summer 2018

Camp CosmoKidz: Bigger and better

Camp CosmoKidz: Bigger and better

Last year we were excited to tell you about our first ever CosmoKidz Camp. This year we have more good news to report. The Camp has continued and it has become bigger and better with the generous support of the Louisiana Governor’s Office.

Cosmogrooves in Amsterdam

Cosmogrooves in Amsterdam

One of our two new CMMI Board Members, Rik Spann, is a musicologist in Amsterdam. That is an intriguing background for someone who is also so enthusiastic about all things CMMish. How does a musicologist hear CMM? How does a musicologist be in CMM? Hear his unexpurgated response…

Spring 2018

Improv, democracy & CMM: Don Waisanen, 2017 CMMI Fellow

Improv, democracy & CMM: Don Waisanen, 2017 CMMI Fellow
The connections between CMM and improvisation run deep, and a major part of Don Waisanen’s fellowship experience has involved discovering the host of links between improv and concepts such as co-construction, holding spaces, strange loops, liminality, emergence, mindfulness, and logical force. Here, Don gives us an overview his project and what he achieved at the Learning Exchange in London.

Beyond CosmoKidz: We need your help!

Beyond CosmoKidz: We need your help!
We created CosmoKidz to help young children develop relational awareness and related skills. We have more than four years’ worth of research to confirm it works. Now we want to go beyond CosmoKidz and we need your help. We invite all forms of collaboration in this new development.

Grief work, continuing bonds and co-creating new stories: Tracey Johnston & Peter Robinsons, 2017 CMMI Fellows

Grief work, continuing bonds and co-creating new stories
Tracey Johnston and Peter Robinson describe how they used the LUUUUTT model to develop an innovative approach to grief work. The LUUUUTT model guided them in co-creating new stories and understandings with bereaved persons about their loved ones that helped in re-connecting identities (personal, social and cultural) as resources for living.

Call for Proposals 2018 CMMI Fellows Program

Call for Proposals 2018 CMMI Fellows Program
We are seeking innovative proposals for projects that “take a communication perspective” on one or more of the social issues facing our increasingly complex social worlds. This year we are looking for proposals that draw on CMM theory and practice explicitly to show or create the potential for “making better social worlds” in a way that addresses patterns of inequality, and that fosters inclusion.

Winter 2017-18

CMM Learning Exchange 2017: Reflection from AC4 Fellow, Laura Peters

CMM Learning Exchange 2017: Reflection from AC4 Fellow, Laura Peters
Attending the Learning Exchange (LE) was a completely wonderful and somewhat unexpected experience. As a PhD student, I attend a variety of academic conferences and workshops and present my research and work frequently. However, the environment at the LE was wholly unique from other experiences I have had.

Fall 2017

Hurricane Harvey as one metaphor for our current political climate and the role of CMM as a first responder

Hurricane Harvey as one metaphor for our current political climate and the role of CMM as a first responder
The months of August and September, 2017 will go down in history as months of fierce world-wide natural disasters that will not be forgotten anytime soon. These disasters, and the ways ordinary people have responded in a time of crisis, have inspired me to think about another type of disaster entirely of our making: national/international social/political disasters. I have asked myself “what can we learn from our response to natural disasters that can help us in our social/political disasters”? This paper is my exploration of this question. Please join me in this exploration.

CosmoKidz goes to Louisianna

CosmoKidz goes to Louisianna, October 31, 2017
We have sports camps, art camps, scholastic camps, but have you ever heard of a camp that focuses on helping kids develop better communicating skills? Well, this year there was one. We held our first ever Camp CosmoKidz this summer in Louisiana. The camp and its aftermath is such an extraordinary example of how one small thing can be so positively welcomed and then blossom into more, that we wanted to tell you the story.

CMM theory helping to elevate military cultural competence

CMM theory helping to elevate military cultural competence
We don’t often think of CMM theory being used in military contexts but three military educators are doing just that. This is an exciting application and if you are interested you can read an overview of the lessons and best practices for educators and coaches they have compiled from teaching cosmopolitan communication concepts to service members and veterans.

Intercultural transitions

Intercultural transitions and migrant-host relationships in Germany: An example of activist scholarship
Versha Anderson has given us an overview of her PhD research in which she engaged in activist scholarship to understand the intercultural transitions of refugees and migrant-host relationships in Germany, their country of refuge.

Meet the 2017 AC4-CMMI Graduate Fellows

Meet the 2017 AC4-CMMI Graduate Fellows
Laura Peters conducts research on post-conflict transformations in Nepal, Julianne Parayo focuses on choral music and political reflections in the Philippines, and Tahleen Wright looks at bridging barriers between interpreter, patient, and physician at end-of-life.

2017 CMM Learning Exchange

2017 CMM Learning Exchange: “Minding the Gap – Creating New Space for Coherence”
Given the current climate in different contexts and public discourses we are interested in ideas for acknowledging and transforming the patterns of communication in ways that may foster the desire and capacity to build bridges across and within communities.

Older posts

Interview from the 2015 CMM Learning Exchange

Interview from the 2015 CMM Learning Exchange
The 2015 Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) Learning Exchange, also known as the FUGIC Forum, took place in Munich, Germany, from September 17-20. Hosts of the Learning Exchange were the CMM Institute and the Institute for Global Integral Competence. This interview was conducted by AC4’s Meredith Smith and Venera Kusari.

2011-2012 CMM Global Survey Results

We are pleased to present the results of the inaugural survey on CMM research and practice. The Global Survey Project was sponsored by the CMM Institute for Personal & Social Evolution whose mission is to preserve, cultivate, and promote worldwide work based on the theory and practice of CMM, the Coordinated Management of Meaning.

2011 Global Ethics Case Competition

The Fox School of Business and Management (FSBM) hosted the 2011 Global Ethics Case Competition. It was held in memory of Dr. W. Barnett Pearce on November 17, 2011 at Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In the spirit of Dr. Pearce’s seminal work, a new generation of future leaders has the benefit of CMM experiences in a business school environment.

Support the work of the CMM Institute!



CMM Institute