Need to change behaviour with no budget? Framing is your answer
Framing: The Gist
Framing is a communication technique based on the idea that emotions and values can sway a person’s perspective on a topic.
It is not what you are communicating but how you frame it. This can completely change the way knowledge is perceived.
A practical example of framing in action is tweaking how a question is asked.
I'm listening...
Whether you are a running a graduate program, parent of a toddler or a coach of Muggle Quidditch we can bet a lot of your time is spent figuring out how to influence others behaviour to desirable things and avoid harmful acts.
But how exactly do we do this?
We have some good news. Framing is a stellar behavioural strategy to nudge others behaviour and actions. And guess what… it doesn't require a limitless training budget.
Show, don't tell
Check out the two message prompts below that are both aiming to encourage people to stop polluting. Which do you think will be more effective in motivating people to actually do something?
It is no surprise that despite the feel-good vibe of the left message, the right message is more convincing. But how does this work and how do we replicate this effect to increase the likelihood of change?
The behavioural Think Tank The Decision Lab defines up the ‘Framing Effect’ as a principle that sees our choices as influenced by the way they are framed through different wordings, settings and situations.
Whether or not we are aware of it, our overall impression of an item, object or action, is impacted by:
the way things are presented to us
the tone people use to relay information
the wording and phraseology used to describe things.
Framing is not what you are communicating or showing as much as how you are talking or presenting it.
Translated to real talk, this effect describes we way word or position a topic or concept influences how someone will respond and behave. Let's take a look at that in action:
Would you rather see a doctor with a 90% success rate or a 10% failure rate?
Would you rather buy ground beef that is 15% full of fat or 85% fat-free?
Would you more likely take a medication that 'helped you live longer' or 'prevented death'?
While in each of these examples, the outcome is the same, one is going to have a better result and it all comes down to wording.
“How someone frames an issue influences how others see it and focuses their attention on particular aspects of it. Framing is the essence of targeting a communication to a specific audience.”
– Management communication lecturer Melissa Raffoni
What does this mean for Learning?
Framing is a behavioural and low cost strategy and there are powerful consequences for embedding it into your program design toolbox to get people feeling, thinking, and doing differently. A simple reframing of words could have significant behavioural impacts. Just like the examples above, any program that focuses on a behavioural topic (from environmental literacy, financial habits to increased productivity during a workday) can embrace framing to close the gap between intention and participants actually doing something about it. Two framing strategies that you can pick up and use are below:
Impatient Desire Framing (positive)
Back Against the Wall Framing (negative).
Impatient Desire Framing
This framing tactic involves delivering information or knowledge in way that motivates people via the prospect of positive consequences. This messaging, when framed correctly, makes the concept, habit or action appear irresistible. When you want people to do something, Impatient Desire Framing usually promotes a reward or good outcome that is relevant to the participants own world.
Example 1
Aim: A program that wants people to uptake better financial habits.
Strategy: People are more likely to stick with the easiest option that has been presented to them. This can be achieved by framing direct debit as the easy, automatic and attractive saving solution. Equating direct debit saving as easy as ‘binge watching a favourite Netflix series, unconsciously people to view this saving habit action as a no brainer, easy and naturally attractive. By setting it up so that money is automatically put into a savings account like "Binge Saving," participants see this savings habit as the key to getting more time and money with less work.
Example 2
Aim: A program that wants people to practice energy saving behaviours.
Spotlight energy savings behaviours as a way to make extra cash (with little effort and fast). Provide participants with ‘rules-of-thumb’ that deliver easy and great financial results based on increased savings. For example:
‘Switch off your lights to recharge your savings' or 'More meal planning results in more holiday planning' (meal planning not only reduces wastage but also costs, resulting in savings to be diverted elsewhere).
Back against the wall framing
Back against the wall or ‘negative’ framing is effective when we want people to stop doing something (such as smoking, risky financial behaviours, littering or administration errors in the workplace). In instances where Back Against the Wall framing is used, there is a clear desired behaviour that needs to be achieved (and often urgently). Framing in these situations will highlight negative or ‘high stakes’ consequences if there is no change, resulting in a freeze and fear response (and triggering action based on this).
Used properly, Back Against the Wall Framing can be used effectively in programs in encouraging participants to feel ‘dissatisfied’ with their current state and restless to change.
Example 1
Aim: a program that wants people to practice better dental hygiene.
For example: If you don’t floss your life can be shortened by 7 years. If plaque and tooth tartar build up and become infected, it could lead to periodontal disease. Periodontal disease destroys the bone tissue, resulting in higher risk for tooth decay and loss. Studies conducted by the American Dental Association also link gum disease to other severe health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, and stroke.
Example 2
Aim: A program that wants people to practice better environmental habits.
For example: What goes into the ocean goes in you. Recent studies estimate that fish off the west coast ingest 12,000 tons of plastic a year. How much plastic do you really consume? Turn the tide on plastic pollution.
Your turn
Now you get the gist, try it for yourself. Check out these prompts to embed framing into your learning programs, workshops, meetings, or knowledge sharing.
What is the desired behaviour I want people to do?
What words could I use instead to 'flip' people's views?
How could I communicate the behaviour in terms of perks or positive outcomes?
How could I position the behaviour in terms of what is going to be lost if there is no change?
To wrap up
Framing is a low-cost and effective tool to quickly build rapport and better leverage your point of view.
Two framing techniques that can be effective in your learning solution are ‘Impatient Desire Framing’ and ‘Back Against the Wall Framing’.
Framing can be asking a question differently, considering a different use of graphics or using a rule-of-thumb.
Need more?
Want to explore the possibilities for framing in program design, talent attraction or learning? Get in touch.
About the author
Tricia Martin is an FYA Young Social Pioneer and an Australian Women Leading Tech Finalist. She also coached an Under 9’s netball team in her local community, which she thinks is just as impressive. She continually looks for ways to use technology, behavioural science and digital experiences to meet people’s needs and find people-centred solutions to messy problems. She spends her free time reading sci-fi books, scouring thrift stores and watching Buffy for the fifteenth time.
