CMM Institute Newsletter Archive
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.
Call for proposals: CMMi Working Paper series
Call for proposals: CMMi Working Paper series
The CMMi Working Papers is a new publishing venture. We have already published two papers in our new Working Paper series and have a third in production. We are now calling for proposals from our broader community for publishing consideration.
Newest Steward: Daniel Walters
Newest Steward: Daniel Walters
We are delighted to announce that Daniel Walters was recently appointed a Steward of the CMM Institute. While Daniel might be our newest Steward, he is by no means new to CMM. You can find out more from his biography.
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.
Review of a Cosmopolitan Sensibility
Review of a Cosmopolitan Sensibility
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.”
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.
Special webinar showcasing Fellows’ projects
Special webinar showcasing Fellows’ projects
We will be holding a special webinar on Friday, March 18, 1-3:30 pm (US EDT), featuring projects created by the 2021-22 Fellows of the CMM Institute. This will be open to all members of the CMM community. Please register for the event on http://evite.me/F5TS1rePFq
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.
Community Webinars 2022
Community Webinars 2022
We are planning a series of community webinars for 2022. The first meeting is planned for 28 April and you will need to register in advance.
fall 2021
Fielding Graduate University: Alumni conference
Fielding Graduate University: Alumni conference
We led a panel dialogue on “Overcoming polarized narratives” as part of the Fielding Alumni Conference at the beginning of this year. The slides and video of the session are now available.
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?
New publications
New publications
Four new CMM related publications have recently been released: on cosmopolitan communication, health, CosmoKidz, and a special Cosmokidz book for children.
Global Social Witnessing Lab: Conference and interviews
Global Social Witnessing Lab: Conference and interviews
The Global Social Witnessing lab to be held last year is now rescheduled as an online event to be held from March 15 to 18, 2021. Join 11 artists and social activists and listen to 14 scholars who will foster and reflect on GSW activities.
Fielding Graduate University: Alumni conference
Fielding Graduate University: Alumni conference
We led a panel dialogue on “Overcoming polarized narratives” as part of the Fielding Alumni Conference at the beginning of this year. The slides and video of the session are now available.
Reviews of A Call to Cosmopolitan Communication
Reviews of A Call to Cosmopolitan Communication
Arthur Jensen’s book, A Call to Cosmopolitan Communication, was published at the end of last year by CMMi Press. It has already started to receive glowing reviews: it’s a “must read”, there is no “better resource”, and “offers a powerful way to build a pathway forward.”
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
Reflections on 2020
Reflections on 2020
Kim Pearce reflects on a range of emotions and perspectives about our lives, the lives of others and the planet as a whole in the year 2020.
Review: Special volume of Human Systems: CMM: Extensions and applications
Review: Special volume of Human Systems: CMM: Extensions and applications
We invite you to explore this rich collection of ideas, examples, and innovative applications with an appreciation for the depth and breadth of CMM circa 2004 and for what is even more possible today.
Amplifying disruption: How to get back on track when the power is off
Amplifying disruption: How to get back on track when the power is off.
Rik Spann riffs on reality by welcoming the unexpected and moving into rapid prototyping without a safety net or a predictable outcome.
CosmoKidz in Romania: Small steps, large impact
CosmoKidz in Romania: Small steps, large impact
Iulia Georgescu and Carmen Greab have been working with teachers and students in Romania using CosmoKidz and have now translated the work into Romanian in order to make it even more accessible.
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.
Next year’s Learning Exchange: September, 23-25, 2021
Next year’s Learning Exchange: September, 23-25, 2021
The CMM Institute is partnering with the Association of Family Therapy in the UK and the Friends of KCC in London to provide three days of inspiring presenters from around the world.
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!
Special webinar: Moral foundations, moral conflict & moral injury
Special webinar: Moral foundations, moral conflict & moral injury
Wednesday November 4 2020, 12 noon to 1:30 pm EST
We are having a special webinar in November on how a communication perspective can be used to understand a number of moral issues. For more information and zoom links
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.
Our first virtual LE: captured in words
Our first virtual LE: captured in words
Everyone felt our first virtual Learning Exchange was a great success. Our pictured word art above captures all the words participants used to sum up their experience and our resident muse, Rik Spann, captured the feel of the first day in a poem.
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.
Musing between the spaces
Musing between the spaces
Rik Spann uses music as a frame for understanding all manner of things. Here he offers some of his recent musings, provoked by the impact of the pandemic, on being, playing and talking in the spaces.
Congratulations to our 2020 CMMi fellows
Congratulations to our 2020 CMMi fellows
Our theme of “going beyond polarized narratives” attracted a number of timely proposals this year. It was hard to choose from such an exciting array and, in the end, we selected 11 new CMMi Fellows for 2020.
spring 2020
Meet Susan Steen: our new board member in 2020
Meet our newest board member: Susan Steen
Susan Steen has recently joined the Board of the CMM Institute. She is an Assistant Professor of Cross-Cultural Communication at the Air Force Culture and Language Center (AFCLC) and has written an introduction to herself and how she has found CMM inspiring in her work and life.
Call for Proposals: 2020 CMMi Fellows program
Call for Proposals: 2020 CMMi Fellows program
We are seeking innovative proposals for projects which show or create the potential for “making better social worlds” by going beyond the polarized narratives that have served to divide, rather than unite, communities. Deadline is April 15, 2020.