Framing is the choices we make about what ideas we share and how we share them. It’s what we emphasise, how we explain an issue, and what we leave unsaid.
Our framing choices determine the mindsets we activate. And so, framing affects how people think, feel and act.
Narratives, mindsets and framing
Narrative change aims to shift culture by replacing a dominant narrative with a counter-narrative.
Dominant narratives reinforce the status quo. They work through the repetition of stories – in pop culture, activism, advocacy and everyday conversations – that share a pattern over time. These stories reinforce one another and influence what we see as normal or possible. Narrative change matters because it can shift mindsets, change norms, and in turn, transform systems.
Mindsets are the sub-conscious patterns of thinking that sit below the level of opinion, or talk.
If narratives are patterns in stories, mindsets are patterns in thinking. They are deeply held, enduring, and shared across a culture. For all of us working to create shifts in policy, norms, practice – mindsets matter, because they shape how we think and how we reason about our world. They’re activated by what we see, hear and experience. This makes narratives one way to move mindsets.
Framing is one element of narrative strategy. It's the choices we make in our communications.
Our framing choices – what we emphasise, how we explain an issue, and what we leave unsaid – determine the mindsets we activate. These choices can bring some mindsets to the fore and push others back. And so, framing affects how people think, feel and act. Framing research enables us to make these choices based on evidence.
At FrameWorks, we research and test frames to help organisations create change. Because we know that if we change the story, we can change the world.
Frames are more than key words, phrases or messages. Frames are the ideas that provide a scaffolding for you to build your communications, helping you to tell the same powerful story but in different ways – adapted for your audience and channels.
All information is framed. By undertaking research, we can understand the mindsets that shape people’s thinking, then test and recommend framing choices.
Narrative change: impact stories
Take a look at examples of how we have worked with different partners to reframe a range of issues.
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