Stories Lived. stories told. With Abbie VanMeter
Stories Lived. Stories Told. is a podcast celebrating humanity and all our stories—the beautiful ones, the messy ones, and the ones that are a little bit of both. Through this podcast we will learn to tell our own stories and listen to the stories of others, treating both with care and respect. To do this, we will be exploring the communication theory Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM). CMM states that “persons-in-conversation co-construct their own social realities.” Join Abbie as she and her guests use the lens of CMM to better understand their social realities and work to create better ones.
This is a podcast celebrating humanity and all our stories—the beautiful ones, the messy ones, and the ones that are a little bit of both. Through this podcast we will learn to tell our own stories and listen to the stories of others, treating both with care and respect. To do this, we will be exploring the communication theory Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM). CMM states that “persons-in-conversation co-construct their own social realities.” Join Abbie as she and her guests use the lens of CMM to better understand their social realities and work to create better ones.
1. What is CosmoKidz? And what is the goal?
2. How CosmoKidz was developed through a collaborative co-construction process involving kids.
3. The value in making the implicit explicit by teaching kids “soft skills” like empathy and communication.
4. Why it is important for kids to learn these skills, language, and tools while they are young. Kids with emotional intelligence will grow into adults with emotional intelligence.
5. Discovering the “next turn” for CMM with CosmoTeenz!
6. “Homework” for listeners… bring the work of CosmoKidz into your own life by sharing it with children you know and reflecting on your own educational experiences.
Background notes
Hi everyone! My name is Abbie VanMeter.
I have just graduated from Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana where I studied Interpersonal Communication for the last four years. I first learned of CMM in my Communication Theory class in the Spring of March 2020; the theory had always stuck out to me, but I didn’t return to it until I began working on this podcast. I enjoy listening to podcasts and always thought it was something that I could do, too. I think they are an incredible medium for sharing conversations and making ideas accessible. I began developing this podcast as a creative project for my Senior Thesis, which I was required to complete to graduate. However, after reaching out to Kim Pearce and talking further, we decided that this podcast could go beyond the scope of my project. I am so excited to officially be collaborating with the CMM Institute to produce more episodes throughout the rest of 2022! I have such a genuine passion for this project that has been shared by everyone I have worked with so far. My hope is that, through this podcast, I will be able to make all the amazing tools and language that CMM has to offer more accessible to people inside and outside of this existing community. In all the conversations that I have had so far with Kim and the Stewards, I have already felt so welcome. I believe that this community is really powerful and I am excited to be a part of it!
The podcast is titled Stories Lived. Stories Told. and can be found above, as well as on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Anchor. (https://cmminstitute.org/stories-lived-stories-told/ ). Over the course of 2022, I will continue to have meaningful conversations with guests like our very own Dr. Barbara McKay and Rik Spann. In fact, many of our guests you will recognize from this community. Our conversations will always take place through the lens of CMM, but some of my guests may never have heard of CMM themselves. In these conversations, we will use CMM to listen to their stories and to create a space that empowers us to tell our stories, too. At the core of all of this is the question: what are we hoping to create in our social worlds? It is through meaningful, intentional conversation that we truly begin to build better social worlds. You (the listeners) are just as much a part of the conversations that we have on the podcast as me and my guests are. These conversations are meant to be models, to encourage us to take CMM with us into our everyday interactions. I will also be producing many shorter episodes that go in-depth into the theory of CMM, breaking it down and finding ways to apply it to our lives. Not all of us have been given the space to share our stories, engage in thoughtful interactions, or think critically about meaning in our lives. This podcast is that space. Everyone and every story is welcome here. I hope you will join in the conversation! Thank you for inviting me so warmly into this community and for sharing my passion for CMM!
Contact Abbie with questions or ideas at abbievanmeter@gmail.com