| "We don't see things as they are, we see them | | | | |
| as we are." - Anais Nin | | | | In persuasion, framing is one of, if not the |
| | | | most important tool we have. |
| The ability to frame a situation is | | | | |
| considered 'spin' by politicians and media | | | | How can frames be used in our businesses? |
| pundits. It's the ability to situate your | | | | Say, for example, you had a difficult client |
| view on an issue to your advantage. | | | | or a very wealthy prospect who made you feel |
| | | | socially awkward and shy. |
| There's the 'Nuclear Reduction Treaty' which | | | | |
| on it's surface sounds like a pretty good | | | | How about turning the situation into an |
| idea. But in the world of 'spin' what | | | | opportunity to use your persuasion skills? |
| something is called is not necessarily what's | | | | Walk into the meeting or situation with the |
| inside and in a very Orwellian twist, the | | | | intention of it being a learning experience. |
| actual substance of this treaty is to prolong | | | | Frame the interaction in terms of using your |
| the nuclear standoff between the U.S. and | | | | persuasion skills, not in terms of their |
| Russia and stockpile more weapons. Reduction? | | | | wealth or difficulty. |
| | | | |
| The 'frame' around this treaty sounded pretty | | | | Here's an example of the power of frames |
| darn good though. | | | | (quite literally). Recently my wife and I |
| | | | were looking at buying a painting by the |
| This name game happens all the time in | | | | artist Thomas Kincaid. He's called 'the |
| politics. The greatest, most well known | | | | painter of light' and his original painting |
| example is 'the Patriot Act'. It suggests | | | | go directly to museums and very wealthy |
| freedom, liberty and the pursuit of justice. | | | | collectors. But he makes lithographs |
| And yet, it's exactly the opposite of all of | | | | available which are hard to distinguish from |
| that, limiting freedoms, diminishing freedoms | | | | the actual paintings. |
| and wildly unpatriotic. | | | | |
| | | | The woman who showed us the print first |
| Another framing example is the abortion | | | | showed it without a frame, then she gave us |
| debate. On one side there are the | | | | two examples of the painting within frames. |
| 'pro-lifers'. Their frame is to show | | | | The first was simple and smaller. No big |
| photographs of aborted babies, villainize the | | | | deal. The second frame was ornate and |
| other side as 'baby killers'. On the other | | | | beautiful and it made a huge difference. |
| side are the 'pro-choice' advocates who say | | | | |
| that a fetus starts out not as an 'unborn | | | | The insignificant frame, the much less |
| baby' but simply a cluster of cells that has | | | | expensive one, nearly ruined the beauty of |
| the potential to grow into a fetus and then a | | | | the painting. It was meaningless. And it |
| baby. They frame the 'pro lifers' as 'anti | | | | struck me right there, the importance of |
| choice' and point out the irony that while | | | | frames. I thought about what an intense |
| many 'pro lifers' tend to anti abortion, they | | | | experience it is for people to buy into our |
| are also pro death penalty. | | | | frames. |
| | | | |
| In the area of framing, the anti-abortionists | | | | This week: think about the frames you've |
| have framed the debate with more intensity | | | | established for yourself and how they may be |
| showing graphic images to bring their point | | | | ready to be updated. |
| home. | | | | |