[NEW EVENT!] 'Designing for Generative Communication: Preparing Participants for Relationality and Reflexivity'
CMMi May 2026 Webinar
Designing for Generative Communication: Preparing Participants for Relationality and Reflexivity with Abbie VanMeter and Sheila McNamee
Do you find yourself wondering how to create the conditions for meaningful and generative communication to occur when you gather? And how that might differ between groups of family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, or clients? Whether or not this is a question you are already asking, it is certainly something valuable to be mindful of. The reality is that the expectations we set and the assumptions we bring to our interactions make a significant difference in the quality of communicating and relating. So, what does this mean for us and our interactions?
We invite you to join us in unpacking this important topic on Thursday, May 21 at 11:00 am Eastern US Time (UTC-4) for our May webinar- ‘Designing for Generative Communication: Preparing Participants for Relationality and Reflexivity.’ Hosts, Abbie VanMeter and Sheila McNamee, will guide participants through a process and content that embodies the insights and wisdom offered by the Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) theory as a relational constructionist approach to communication co-creation.
During this 90-minute gathering, participants will experience transformative practices, including setting expectations, building self-reflexivity, prioritizing relationality, and acknowledging assumptions. Each of these practices contribute to establishing all participants as active participants with the power to influence what is created in the unfolding conversation.
We encourage all who are interested in creating spaces for communication that creates better social worlds to attend. The practices and knowledge from this webinar are useful across various contexts- from decision-making with co-workers in professional settings to routine quality time with family and friends to advocating and organizing within communities. If you find yourself convening others for any reason, then this gathering is for you!
We hope to see you there!
This webinar is the seventh installment in our ‘Communication Creates’ Series, where we explore theoretical and practical applications of Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM), with a particular emphasis on using a ‘communication perspective’ to make sense of what we are making together in our communication and how we can act more mindfully in our relating to co-create better social worlds together.
For free access to all 2026 monthly webinars and all past and future event recordings, you can become an Associate of the CMM Institute for an annual fee of $100 below.
Abbie VanMeter, is the Executive Director of the CMM Institute for Personal and Social Evolution, a non-profit serving an international community of scholar-practitioners dedicated to the ongoing research, practice, and evolution of Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM), a social constructionist approach to communication that situates each individual as an active participant in the co-creation of social worlds. Through her ongoing learning- both academic and experiential- Abbie has become a passionate advocate for a CMM-inspired communication perspective as a transformative framework for individuals, communities, and organizations. Guided by a mission to co-create better social worlds through better communication, Abbie works to equip and empower individuals with CMM language, tools, and concepts that enable more mindful, compassionate, curious, and generative communication to occur.
In addition to creating educational resources in the form of videos, infographics, and webinars, as Executive Director of the CMM Institute, Abbie expertly facilitates important conversations on the CMMi podcast, Stories Lived. Stories Told., by demonstrating the practical application of the communication perspective in both content and process. With a particular interest in designing spaces that foster collective storytelling and storyhearing, Abbie brings both attention and intention to the often taken for granted aspect of collaborative meaning-making in processes of communication.
Sheila McNamee is Professor Emerita, University of New Hampshire and co-founder and Vice President of the Taos Institute. Her work is focused on dialogic transformation within a variety of social and institutional contexts. She is author of several books and articles, including – most recently – Practicing Therapy as Social Construction (with E. Rasera & P. Martins) and Design Thinking and Social Construction (with C. Camargo-Borges).
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Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026
Time: 11:00 am Eastern US Time (UTC-4)
Location: Zoom (link provided upon registration)
Cost: $20 (Professional)/ $10 (Student)*
*We want everyone who is interested to be able to participate in this event. If the cost presents a barrier to attending for you, please do not hesitate to contact abbievanmeter@gmail.com.