When the Relationship Matters More Than the Episode: Navigating Tough Conversations During the Holiday Season

How can we find a way to have difficult conversations with the people we care about most while not jeopardizing those relationships? 

It is one thing to broach conversations around politics, immigration, health care, gun control, climate action, and abortion access with strangers, but it is another– often more emotional experience– to raise these potentially polarizing topics with close family, friends, and colleagues. It is challenging, but it is not impossible. And it shouldn't have to feel so risky if all parties feel confident using the tools of curiosity, mindfulness, and dialogue in navigating the difference of opinions, the emotions that rise, and the repair that is often required. 

The CMM Institute for Personal and Social Evolution welcomes you to join our next virtual webinar, just in time for the holidays, titled- ‘When the Relationship Matters More Than The Episode: Navigating Tough Conversations During the Holiday Season' on Monday, November 23, at 1:00 pm Eastern US Time (UTC-4).

In this interactive webinar, participants will be encouraged to reflect on the interpersonal and political dimensions of the challenging conversations many of us will find ourselves having during the increased family time that often occurs during the end of year holiday season.

Using CMM’s Heterarchy Model to explore the various layers of context and stories that shape our interactions– from episodes to relationships, from self stories to cultural norms, from speech acts to life scripts– this session will offer concrete skills for navigating the complexity of balancing values, relationships, and interactions. 

We hope to see you there!

This webinar is the next 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 here:

https://cmminstitute.org/join-us/.

For more information on CMM, check out our Resource Hub here:

https://cmminstitute.substack.com.

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Date: Monday, November 23, 2026

Time: 1:00 pm Eastern US Time (UTC-4)

Location:  Zoom (link provided upon registration)


Cost:  $20 (Professional)/ $10 (Student)*

*Scholarships are available. Please email abbievanmeter@gmail.com if the cost of registration presents a barrier to attending.