Coordinated Management of Meaning
Throughout the semester, we have studied numerous communication theories. Their purpose is to help understand exactly what happens when we interact with others. We might not necessarily agree with all of the theories, but the idea is to develop tools to evaluate situations we may encounter. Often, when the theories are explained in the readings or lecture, it is beneficial to apply the concepts to a "real life" situation. Using this approach, I will use a situation that many of us have faced, or will face, and analyze it according to a particular communication theory.
Explanation of theory
In the late 1970's, W. Barnett Pearce and Vernon Cronen introduced their theory of Coordinated Management of Meaning (CMM). Their primary findings indicated that talk creates the social environment in which we participate. Prior to Pearce and Cronen, the common method of observing communication was through a transmissional view. This taught theorists and scholars to focus on the pieces of conversation while ignoring the overall effect of the interaction. CMM theory examines interactions from a participants point of view, and is able to get a feel for the interaction as a whole through this process. Outside observation does lead to learning about the interaction, but participating in the interaction leads to more in depth study of communication patterns.
CMM theory relies on three basic processes in interactions. A participant consciously or unconsciously experiences coherence, coordination, and mystery. Each step further clarifies and explains how we create social realities when we engage in conversation. The first step, coherence, describes how meaning is achieved in conversation. Each time we ente...
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...ually throughout the processes of the theory, certain words and definitions need to be decided on and kept. Confusion prevails when the terms and ways to understand the theory are continually changing.
Above all, Coordinated Meaning of Management is a useful theory when examining communication interactions. It focuses its central themes on the ritual of communication and the part it plays in defining our world. Unfortunately, CMM has an abundance of terms to relay the same basic message. Aside from the terminology, CMM provides a different scope to view real life situations, even one as stressful as meeting a boyfriend or girlfriend's parents!
References
Griffin, E.M. (1997). A First Look at Communication Theory. New York: McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Pearce, W.B. (1989). Communication and the Human Condition. Southern Illinois University, Carbondale: Ill.
Conversation Analysis (CA) is the study of talk-within-interaction that attempts to describe the orderliness, structure and sequential patterns of interaction in conversation. It is a method of qualitative analysis developed by Harvey Sacks with the aid of Emmanuel Schegloff and Gail Jefferson in the late 1960s to early 1970s. Using the CA frame of mind to view stories shows us that what we may think to be simplistic relaying of information or entertaining our friends is in fact a highly organised social phenomena that is finely tuned in a way that expresses the teller’s motivation behind the talk. (Hutchby & Wooffitt, 2011). It is suggested that CA relies on three main assumptions; talk is a form of social action, action is structurally organised, talk creates and maintains inter-subjectivity (Atkinson & Heritage, 1984).
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Griffin, E., Ledbetter, A., & Sparks, G. (2015). A first look at communication theory. New York:
At preschool, they become exposed to numbers, letters, and shapes. And, more important, they learn how to socialize -- get along with other children, share, contribute to circle time."
CMM is a theory founded by Barnett Pearce and Vernon Cronen who both believe that the process of communication creates our social worlds. Pearce and Cronen, taken from Harre, emphasize that at the heart of CMM are persons-in-conversations who “co-construct their own social realities and are simultaneously shaped by the worlds they create” (Griffin, 2012, p. 70). The theory allows for the deciphering of the processes and patterns within communication. By doing so, steps can be taken to improve communication and understand the benefits and hindrances of certain techniques.
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Coordinated Management of Meaning Theory states that communicating with others allows us to develop our own social worlds. This means that whenever people are in conversations with others create realities that are based on the things that have been a part of. People have their own thoughts on what the world around them is like. CMM is stated as a practical theory.
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