This post is the end of an idea I’ve had for quite some time regarding one of my favorite communication principles: framing. I was about to write this purely from an academic perspective when a couple of fortuitous elements crossed my mind.
Apple first released the Macintosh 26 years ago today. (And as an early adopter, I might say: Holy Kaw. I remember clearly.) The news led me to a now classic video of Steve Jobs introducing the new product. Take note of the first line: “There have only been two major products in our industry.” We will come back to this in a moment.
Second, today I happened upon this information about the upcoming (alleged?) Apple tablet: Steve Jobs says that the Apple tablet “will be the most important thing I’ve ever done.”
Cue bulb and sound effect.
Before I can explain, I need to step back and talk about framing. It’s one of my favorite ideas in communications, somewhere between the simplest concepts to understand and the hardest to master. Here is a definition:
In communication theory and sociology, framing is a process of selective control over the individual’s perception of media, public or private communication, particularly the meanings attributed to words or phrases. Framing defines how an element of rhetoric is packaged to allow certain interpretations and rule out others. Media frameworks can be created by the media or by specific political or social movements or organizations. The concept is generally attributed to the work of Erving Goffman, especially his 1974 book, Frame analysis: an essay on the organization of experience.
Source: Framing (communication theory) – Psychology Wiki.
Deetz, Tracy and Simpson, in Leading organizations through transitionhe defined it this way: “Framing refers to the ways in which the leader can use his or her language to shape or modify particular interpretations of organizational events and thus direct likely responses. … [F]raming focuses on the everyday communication of organizational metaphors, stories, artifacts, and myths that shape interpretations.”
We are all familiar with this concept to some extent. A classic trope on TV shows has the doctor ask the family member to sit down for some news; news is framed. In other words, “Let me tell you, I’m about to give you some bad news.” Then I hand it over. The theory, I guess, in TV land is that the family member gets a chance to absorb that something bad is coming so he or she doesn’t black out or overreact.
However, the framing is much more subtle. From anthropology, we know that our frames of reference are “socially constructed”, that is, we agree on them as cultures through a complex series of negotiations and countless acts of communication. Our tone, word choice, sentence structure, volume, even our clothing all contribute to telling the recipient of a message. how the creator of the message wants it to be read. This is why satire (like Jonathon Swift’s) is so effective: It starts with a typical framing of something we’re all familiar with, a carefully reasoned argument, and turns it on its head. It is much more effective due to its novelty.
Framing has tremendous power. A friend of mine who is a genius at writing headlines once told us about Chaplin’s rule: that life is a series of ins and outs. I found this to be true: Write a great entry, come up with a great conclusion, and very little else will be remembered. The story is framed. Deetz et al use the example of a manager telling employees that something is “important”: using the word gives the activity a higher value than if it were simply a “do”. Even something like a sequence can have meaning. As Spinal Tap’s manager notes: “I’ve told you a hundred times: put ‘Spinal Tap’ first and ‘Puppet Show’ last.”
Framing is a “meta” activity. It is information about information. It is a set of rules suggested to the recipient that helps structure a reading of your message. It requires trust. This makes framing exceptionally difficult to work with, and many communication calamities arise when people inadvertently frame things incorrectly or are unaware of the framework within which they are working.
So what about that light bulb?
Well, back to Steve’s presentation. Take those words, “there have only been two major products in our industry,” and think about how Jobs asks you to read what he is about to tell you. Then watch how, over and over again, he frames what he is about to say next. He walks us through his point-to-point presentation. always telling us what he’s about to tell us. Always leave them wanting more.
And then consider his recent statements that his new tablet will be “the most important thing I’ve ever done.” This is going to be revolutionary, he is saying. He wants you to read this not as just another piece of computer equipment, but as a great experience about to unfold, something that will transform you. He is framing this in terms of the past framing of him. How’s that for postmodern?
Apple, and more specifically Steve Jobs, are masters of framing. They knew they needed to put a flashy logo, not a company name, on the PC to make it more user-friendly (and they added a bit of flavor by referencing the tree of knowledge). They knew he needed a smiling face when he got going so you’d interpret his intentions as positive. They realized that computers should have friendly colors and shapes and use interfaces that look like things in the real world. They knew you were looking at PCs the wrong way. And that is its genius: the frame. Jobs smiles and says, This is going to be “unbelievably cool,” and he urges us to forget the reason and just enjoy.
Framing is something that can be used for good or for the opposite. I hope, however, that you do not think that it is not necessary. Everyone on the planet has had the experience of asking others if they take a statement seriously. It is not always easy to find out. Among trustworthy, informed and critically minded groups, framing can be a very valuable activity. For the public, being aware of frames can help avoid plucking. You really don’t have a choice. Not choosing a frame is itself a form of framing.
So what examples of framing do you see? How could you best use the framework in your business or organization?