Dear Reader, But if you do, don’t forget to watch this heartwarming book-reading video. Sometimes I feel that some of the most beautiful literature is available in the children’s section.
Now, let’s get down to business. Most of you who read this letter know how our words and tone affect other people’s behaviour in the workplace. There are thousands of unique books and seminars written on this topic and still, what gets attention in popular culture is the same repeated chewing gum. Colourless, tasteless, flavourless. So, you would ask me: “What are you getting at?” And I’ll respond: “Framing…not only framing. But framing effectively.” You might have mistaken “framing” for this framing: No, not photo framing. But information framing. What’s framing?Framing refers to the way information is structured and presented. We are not talking about design per se. But how the information is conveyed, in what order and all those aspects. This can significantly impact how it is interpreted. Interested in “framing effect bias”? You may like this article from The Decision Lab. Even though, the fat content is the them in both versions. Reason? Risk aversion. We instinctively avoid any risk. Our minds have invented a shorthand over a long evolutionary process to identify risk and avoid it. Our topic of discussion is not “framing” in terms of BIAS. But it is in terms of a TOOL in our communication with people. “Isn’t that a mind game?”If that’s your first response to our topic of discussion, look at it this way: If the work requires support from people, then we have to communicate in a way that makes it certain to get the support. So that the work doesn’t stall. And that’s why framing is an important tool to get our message across. The three elements of effective framingAny effective framing touches three elements in the audience’s mind: 1. Value The personal values that drive the audience’s behaviour.
For example, in the 80% fat-free yogurt framing, the personal values targeted may include: choosing a healthy lifestyle, being rational, being informed, etc. 2. Emotion The emotions that are generated in the audience’s mind.
For example, in the 80% fat-free yogurt framing, the target emotion may be fear. Fear of heart attack due to the popular narrative of fat = heart attack narrative. Or fear of looking obese, hence unattractive. 3. Decision clarity The clarity of decision provided by our message.
For example, in the 80% fat-free yogurt framing, the customer immediately chooses the 80% fat-free option. Because they feel, it’s a “no-brainer”. It is “common sense”. Why would anyone choose yogurt that contains 20% fat? That’s outrageous! Framing your annual appraisals, revenues, reports etc.I know. While writing, even I felt that I had eaten 4 buckets of 80% fat-free yogurt. It feels bulky in my stomach. So, let’s touch on some non-foody examples. Examples where we don’t talk about 80% fat-free yogurt. If you know me, you’d be also knowing that I hate the idea of annual appraisals. If you haven’t read Appraisals of Appraisals yet, consider reading it. So, instead of saying: “I’ve shown my commitment by only taking 5 leaves in the year” We can frame it as: “I let go of 25 leaves in the year to make sure the project is completed on time.” Value: responsibility, sacrifice Emotion: reciprocity, awe, defence Decision clarity: “Of course, the guy deserves a raise.” See? You can think of other framing examples in your context. Framing changes your mindsetI have experienced one of the main benefits of framing: it changes your mindset. It opens you up to possibilities. It is not a positive mental attitude thing. It rewires your brain and changes how you talk to yourself. (By the way, that reminds me, have you read this beautiful book: The Untethered Soul?) So, in essence, framing benefits ourselves more than it does to the audience. Have you heard of framing before? Where did you hear it? And of course, would you like to share how you use framing in your work? Hit Reply and share it with me. Reads of the week:What happens when you give people $1000 per month for 3 years? For FREE!Did you know that last month, one of the most important research results was published? Universal Basic Income. The idea is proposed by most “Intellectual, Yet Idiot” (IYI) category of people. They believe that if we provide the whole world with a basic, guaranteed income, the world will be more productive and happy. So, to test this hypothesis, I think 4 years back National Bureau of Economic Research and other agencies jointly conducted a Randomized Control Trial. RCT is called a gold standard in scientific methodology. The researchers provided $1,000 per month to the 1000 participants’ households in two US states for three years. The result? It failed. Read the article to see how people behave when given extra money. |