Stories Lived. Stories Told.
The purpose of Coordinated Management of Meaning is to create better social worlds through better communication. This podcast is about empowering all of us in our communication to see ourselves as curious and active participants with the ability to create meaningful change in our relationships and social worlds.
Our practice of CMM is about embodying a “communication perspective,” which asks us to “look at communication, rather than through it.” To take a communication perspective is to consider what we’re making and how we’re making it through our communication practices. This means we look at patterns, contexts, stories, and relationships; and that we use curiosity, mindfulness, collaboration, and dialogue to create better social worlds for ourselves.
So, join us as we take CMM from theory to practice, engage in collective learning together, and apply a communication perspective to make meaning in our conversations.
Stories Lived. Stories Told.
On Practicing Leadership Playing Dungeons & Dragons with Tom Watkin | Ep. 144
How do games like Dungeons and Dragons enable us to practice a CMM-informed way of relating, participating, and communicating?
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Today, Abbie and Tom explore Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) as a powerful practice and metaphor for developing more relational, emergent, and collaborative ways of being and leading, touching on the value of experiential learning in scenarios our brains will remember as real; the need (both in game and out) to coordinate across different meanings being made in each of our own imaginations; and the opportunity to transform and be transformed by collective storytelling and world building.
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Tom Watkin is a passionate business leader and writer who bridges the imaginative world of Dungeons & Dragons with real-world leadership and teamwork development. He is the creative force behind the DnD at Work blog, where he explores how roleplaying games can be powerful tools for honing soft skills like communication, collaboration, strategic thinking, and emotional intelligence in a safe, playful environment.
Beyond the blog, Tom is a business leader in the environmental sector with experience across Australia, Europe, New Zealand and Asia. He's led teams in small business, startups and large multi-nationals. He is also the author of Business Development Begins Here, aimed at helping technical professionals navigate the complexities of work winning and business expansion. He advocates for “Steward Leadership” — guiding organizations toward long-term success through thoughtful and ethical leadership.
In essence, Tom fuses his extensive background in business leadership with his love for gaming, creating a unique, experiential path for leaders and teams to grow stronger—one adventure at a time.
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Stories Lived. Stories Told. is created, produced & hosted by Abbie VanMeter.
Stories Lived. Stories Told. is an initiative of the CMM Institute for Personal and Social Evolution.
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Music for Stories Lived. Stories Told. is created by Rik Spann.
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