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Lesson 4 Coordinated Management of Meaning

The document discusses Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) theory, which examines how individuals establish rules to create and interpret meaning in conversations and how those rules are used to coordinate meaning. It outlines key concepts of CMM including constitutive and regulative rules, the hierarchy of organized meaning, and charmed and strange communication loops. Examples are provided to illustrate concepts like coordination, rules, and unwanted repetitive patterns in communication.

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Thiviya Ramesh
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99 views19 pages

Lesson 4 Coordinated Management of Meaning

The document discusses Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM) theory, which examines how individuals establish rules to create and interpret meaning in conversations and how those rules are used to coordinate meaning. It outlines key concepts of CMM including constitutive and regulative rules, the hierarchy of organized meaning, and charmed and strange communication loops. Examples are provided to illustrate concepts like coordination, rules, and unwanted repetitive patterns in communication.

Uploaded by

Thiviya Ramesh
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPTX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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COORDINATED

MANAGEMENT OF
MEANING
Lesson 6
INTRODUCTION

 CMM refers to how individuals establish rules for


creating and interpreting meaning and how those
rules are enmeshed into a conversation in which
meaning is constantly being coordinated.

 WHO WE ARE? HOW SHALL WE LIVE?

 By Preace & Cronen


ALL THE WORLD’S STAGE
 Preace & Cronen (1980) use the metaphor “undirected
theater”

“Imagine a very special kind of theater. There is no


audience; everyone is “on stage” and is a participant. There
are many props, but they are not neatly organized: In some
portions of the stage are jumbles of costumes and furniture;
In others, properties have been arranged as a set for a
contemporary office; in yet another, they depict a medieval
castle….Actors move about the stage, encountering sets,
would-be directors, and other actors who might provide a
supporting cast for a production of some play”
3 ASSUMPTIONS
Humans live in communication.

Humans co-create a social reality.

Information transactions depend on personal and interpersonal


meaning.

• Personal meaning – meaning achieved when a person brings his or


her unique experience to an interaction
• Interpersonal meaning – when two people agree on each other’s
interpretations of an interaction.
THE HIERARCHY OF ORGANIZED
MEANING
• Images one has of the world and her or
his relationship with it.
• People’s identification with different
Cultural groups in particular cultures and
Patterns behave according to prescribed values

• Autobiographies are clusters of past and


present episodes.
• A life script communicates with an
individual's sense of self and both shapes
Life Scripts and is shaped by communication
THE HIERARCHY OF ORGANIZED
MEANING
• A relationship is like a contract in that it is
an agreement whereby two people
recognize their potential and limitations as
Contract/ relational partners (rational boundaries,
Relationship parameters for attitudes and behavior).

• Communication routines that have


definable beginnings, middles, and ends;
episodes describe contexts in which people
act.
Episodes • Culturally based
THE HIERARCHY OF ORGANIZED
MEANING
• Actions that we perform by speaking
[compliments, insults…]
• Shows the intentions of the speaker and
Speech what one does to another person when
Acts speaking

• First step in converting raw data into


some meaning.
Content
COORDINATION
 Making sense of message sequencing
 Communication outcomes:
 Coordination
 No coordination
 Some degree of coordination
COORDINATION
 Examples of perfect coordination

Ben and Jessie are discussing an upcoming camping trip.

Ben: We need to be straightforward with the girls now. I


don’t see any problem with sleeping in the same tent and
letting the kids sleep in their tent, Patrick can sleep with us
if he gets upset.
Jessie: I think you’re right. He should have fun with the
girls.
Ben: Also, they love him, which makes it easier for all of us.
Jessie: The weekend should be a great bonding time for the
families
COORDINATION
 Examples of no coordination

Ben and Jessie are discussing an upcoming camping trip.

Ben: We need to be straightforward with the girls now. I don’t see any
problem with sleeping in the same tent and letting the kids sleep in their
tent. Patrick can sleep with us if he gets upset.
Jessie: My girls will not like that. Are you trying to say that our feelings
are more important than our kids’ feelings?
Ben: I didn’t say that…
Jessie: Why would you even think that? Our first trip together shouldn’t be
spent trying to explain why Mom and Dad want their privacy.
Ben: All I was trying to do was to let the kids know that Mom and Dad need
to have their own space.
Jessie: And that they need to deal with their own problems? Look I may be
overacting here, but…
Ben: I’m sorry that I ever brought up the issue.
COORDINATION
 Examples of some degree of coordination

Ben and Jessie are discussing an upcoming camping trip.

Ben: We need to be straightforward with the girls now. I don’t see any
problem with sleeping in the same tent and letting the kids sleep in
their tent. Patrick can sleep with us if he get upset.
Jessie: It is more complicated than that. This is the first time that
we’re all going to be together for a weekend.
Ben: honey, if we don’t try this right away, it’ll be more difficult when
we all move in together.
Jessie: but the kids are still trying to get this situation all figured out.
Separating things out this way may be more of a pain than we thought.
Ben: How about if we bought a larger tent and let the kids sleep on one
side and we’ll be on the other?
Jessie: That should work.
RULES
1. One way that individuals manage and coordinate
is through the use of rules.

 Constitutive rules refer to how behavior should be


interpreted within a given context.

 Regulative rules refer to some sequence of action


that an individual undertakes.

 What are the differences between regulative and


constitutive rules? What are the specific examples
you can think of?
CONSTITUTIVE & REGULATIVE
Constitutive rules – how behavior should be
interpreted within a given context
 Helps interpret meaning
 Rules of creating meaning

Regulative rules – sequence of action that an


individual undertakes
 Assist people in interpretation of meaning
 Do not provide people with guidelines for behavior
 Communicates what happens next in a conversation
 Specific conditions for different people
SCENARIO
 Identify the following constitutive and regulative rule

A couple married for 20 years is having a crisis. The


wife has discovered her husband’s extramarital affair
and must now decide what constitutive and regulative
rules to follow.

She decides on a venting decision because the rule


tells her that such an affair is wrong in their marriage.
In turn, her husband must determine how to interpret
the venting and must construct some response.
CHARMED AND STRANGE LOOP
Charmed loops
 Rules of meaning are consistent
throughout the interaction
 Occurs when one part of the hierarchy
conforms and supports one another
level
 Each level remains logically consistent

Strange loops
 Rules of meaning change due to
inconsistent episodes
 It usually align with intrapersonal
communication in that individuals
engage in a sort of internal dialogue
about their self destructive behavior's
 Can lead to Unwanted Repetitive
Patterns – sequential and recurring
conflictual episodes
STRANGE LOOP – UNWANTED
REPETITIVE PATTERN

Source: http://slideplayer.com/slide/5673756/
CRITIQUE OF CMM
Areas
Scope (breath and Some scholars argue that the theory is too
limitations) abstract
Parsimony If the theory is too broad, it may not be
(simplicity of parsimonious. Too many terms. Difficulty to
explanation) interpret what is important in communication.
Utility (usefulness It is applicable and practical – childhood
& clear) obesity, child and adolescent health, refugees
families, consumer research technology and
Chinese culture.
Heurism (new CMM covers many content areas
thinking &
additional
research)

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