Framing your communication is the key to improving your communication

So what is a frame?

A frame is contextualising something before you say it.

For example “I’m going to explain this to you but it is very complicated and you really don’t need to understand it in detail.  I will tell you the detail but don’t worry about it, all you need to remember are the key points which I will emphasis and highlight when we get to them”.  This frame will allow someone to relax and listen/read without worrying about how much they take in. 

Alternatively:

“I’m going to explain this to you, it is very complicated and you really need to understand it in detail. At the end you will be tested on your understanding and if you do not answer correctly you will have failed”.  A frame often used in training courses that have no intention of failing you but want you to be focused on what you are being told.

Frames Direct Attention and Influence How Events are Interpreted

One of the most common forms of misunderstanding or miscommunication is incorrect framing.  Framing is one of the most powerful methods to influencing someone, this is something that we do all of the time whether intentionally or unintentionally. 

In ‘theory’ every time we communicate we should consciously consider the frame from the other person’s perspective and adjust our communication to fit the specific situation. 

Words frame our experience by bringing certain aspects into the foreground and leaving others in the background. Leaking is where we put our negative thoughts on a situation onto the other person where there is no possible advantage to us in those thoughts being there. Thus bringing the negative to the foreground and the positive to the background.

For example if we start our communication by saying “I apologise for it taking so long” or “unfortunately they can’t do that” we have just framed the whole communication in a negative frame.  This will then affect the entire communication from this point forward and puts us on the back foot where we could have said: “congratulations, great news” or “what they can do is…..” thus creating a positive frame.

So we need to frame up all of our communication in a way that we believe will deliver two key objectives:

1.       Help the person to understand our communication in its correct perspective

2.       Deliver the communication in a positive frame

Typically frames fit into certain categories and can be:

 

Problem Frame		Outcome Frame
What’s wrong?		What do you want?
Why is it a problem?		How can you get it right?
What caused it?		What resources are available?
Whose Fault is it?
Failure Frame		Feedback Frame
What did I do wrong?		What did I do well?
Why was I not successful?		What can I learn from this?
		What do I need to do now that will get me what I want?
Impossibility Frame		As if Frame
I can’t do that.		What would happen if you could?
It’s impossible.		What would it be like?
		What would need change to make it possible?
		Has it never been done?