CharityVillage® Research: Communications: New stories to frame change

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New stories to frame change
By Pattie LaCroix
June 30, 2008

"Reframing is social change… We know frames through language.. all words are defined relative to conceptual frames—when you hear a word its frame is activated in your brain. Reframing is changing the way the public see the world."
George Lakoff
Don’t Think of an Elephant
As communicators in the social service sector, we have inherited a legacy of masterfully mapping out problems and of brilliantly telling stories that bring into focus a wide range of social issues. While no one would dispute the importance of highlighting things that need to be fixed or systemic inequalities that require shifting, focusing only on these issues make for stories that aren’t that inspiring or engaging. They lack the language that speaks to those who are not yet won over to your cause. They lack entry points to grow a constituency for progressive change.
Using language that builds “conceptual frames” so that we can see a better world is as much of a creative challenge as it is a strategic shift for many nonprofits. Our views of the world as it should be can often be as divisive as the world that we live in today. Using language to create absolutisms rooted in being right does little to engage those who are not already on the same page as you are.
"There is a profound difference between problem solving and creating. Problem solving is taking action to have something go away – the problem. Creating is taking action to have something come into being – the creation. Most of us have been raised in a tradition of problem solving and have had little real exposure to the creative process. For this reason many people confuse the two."
Robert Fritz
The Path of Least Resistance
As communicators we can tap into stories that can evolve into a culture of innovation in the social sector. We can co-create the meaning of change through narratives that tell a story of change that people want to participate in because it is fresh, creative, experimental and ultimately informed by wisdom drawn from facts, research and experience.
Here a few questions you can ask yourself when pulling together a communications strategy, a plan or even creating communication products:

If I want to reach out to a new constituency what language would resonate with them?

How can I best build a frame that clearly paints the picture of where people can participate in their daily lives in the solution?

Is my language building the conceptual frame of the future I am asking others to help create?

There are real and demanding pressures that cause many of us to fall back on our “default” frames rather than moving a new frame of change forward. Our “default” frame focuses on problem solving rather than the creative process to reshape our frames that wrap around the artistry of creating a new world. Now is the time to stop beating the same old drum, to pick up a new instrument of change, or at the very least change our tune. I am of the view that many people are less compelled to take action to solve a problem, but are provoked into action by the idea of bringing something into being.

What drum are you beating?

Pattie LaCroix has provided strategic leadership in crafting integrated communications and fundraising strategies to nonprofits for more than a decade. As CEO of Catapult Media she is passionate about the power of storytelling in engaging your audience and building support for your work. You can reach Pattie at www.catapultmedia.ca.