Content and relational meaning are the two levels a message can carry at once: what it says, and how it indicates that a relationship or situation should be understood. Ambiguity or contradiction between these levels can complicate interpretation, particularly when participants cannot discuss the framing openly.
- Entry typeKey concept
- Category of its source unitParadigms, Traditions & Metatheories
- DomainConversation & Relationships
What these mean
Editorial orientation · Entry type
Key concept
Key concepts are the working vocabulary of the field: the terms that the models and tools rely on and that a decision about communication has to use precisely. Each entry defines the term and sends you to the brief or the self-guided audit where it is put to work.
Editorial orientation · Category
Paradigms, Traditions & Metatheories
Provides a broad intellectual perspective within which multiple concepts, theories or investigations are developed. Traditions carry histories and commitments; metatheories examine how theories themselves are organized or related.