One of the most crucial skills for success and happiness is the ability to change our perspective on circumstances, people, situations, behaviours etc…

The technical term for this is “reframing”.

Reframing is about changing the meaning OR the context of a presenting problem or behaviour. It is used ALL THE TIME. In selling, reframing is called handling objections! Reframe yourself to regain motivation, or change perspective on a challenging situation. Reframe clients in coaching. The list is endless.

How Does It Work?

So, how do you reframe, how do you change the meaning or context in sales, in management, education or in coaching in order to change how you or others understand the world around them?

The Polish-American scientist and philosopher Alfred Korzybski coined the phrase “The Map is not the territory”, which indicates that all meaning is context dependant. Let me write that again: all meaning is context dependant. If a certain word has a certain meaning, the meaning depends on the context in which it appears.

This is how they make dictionaries! By checking in what context the word appears in all the books in print. All meaning is dependant upon the context in which is appears.

What does this mean? All content is reframable by changing the context, if we change the structure of what we are talking about, we can reframe virtually anything.

By the way, if you are in the business of advising or coaching people, this  is a fundamental truth to keep in mind: what your client tells you (the content) does not matter as much as how they tell you (the structure). Advertisers and marketers have known and utilised this for decades!

In sales, the ability to reframe means making a difference to your turnover. What’s one of the most common objection in sales? “It’s too expensive”. A few years back, l’Oreal created what has become one of the most famous reframes in the world of marketing with the tagline: “Because You’re Worth It”.

Different Types Of Reframes

There are many ways to reframe, but in this article, we’re looking at 2 major reframes: Context and Meaning Reframes.

What do we do when we reframe? We shift our thinking from the level we are at, to a higher logical level; it is like handling a paradox. You are thinking outside of the box the person in front of you is thinking. Your ability to think OUTSIDE OF THE BOX is what is going to make a difference in your results.

Context Reframe

It is best used when someone tells you “I am too …” or “It’s too…” (as in “it’s too expensive”)

You ask yourself “what’s another context for this behaviour where the meaning will be different or the person will respond differently to the same behaviour.”

An example you have probably heard before. “I do not like this food!” “Well, some people do not have anything to eat!”

Another example: “It’s too expensive.” “Expensive? It’s only $2 per day! Less than the price of a cup of coffee!”

You can shift the context by shifting
– location
– time back and forth
– circumstances of the family
– shift to business or relationship
– age
– resources, what skills do you have now
– intention of the behaviour or consequences of the behaviour
etc…

Ask yourself: What is another context for this behaviour that will shift the meaning of this behaviour?

Meaning reframe

Best used when someone tells you “it makes me feel bad”, or “Whenever X happens, I respond Y”

Here, you want to change the content.

Ask yourself: “what else could this behaviour mean?” “What is another frame that will change its meaning?” You change the meaning of the behaviour.

An example: a few years ago, an ad to sell cheap White Tuna went like this “the only Tuna that will not turn pink.”

Another example from one of my coaching clients: “My boss always comes to me when he wants someone to deal with this most difficult customer who is also the most important.” “He must trust you so much!”

Ask yourself: “What else could this behaviour mean?” “What is another frame that will change its meaning?” You change the meaning of the behaviour.

So now what?

OK, so not, are you ready? Just for fun:

1. Make a list of the most common objections you get in your line of work,

2. Ask yourself the 2 questions above and jot down some possible reframes, write as many as come to you, and at least 2.

3. Go ahead and next time you hear the objection, deliver your reframe and see the effect.

Practice and you’ll become a master at reframing!

Want to know more?

Check out the next training HERE (or copy and paste http://www.themastermindsgroup.eventbrite.com in your browser).

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What are reframes? The process of reframing is shedding a new, positive light on a behaviour or pattern that is understood as negative.

For example, to a father who was complaining to him about his headstrong daughter, Erickson said that this was a quality which will be extremely useful when she grows up and can fend for herself.

How can you reframe how you consider some of your own behaviours?

Want to know more about the art of reframing? Contact us!

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Often, the solution to our problems lies in the ability to see things from a different point of view.

Something to contemplate (from the philosopher Wittgenstein):

We are tempted to think that because we know 1, we know 2 because 1 and 1 equal 2; but we forgot to look at the “and”. If you combine 1 litre of alcohol and 1 litre of water you do not get 2 litres (try it, you’ll see)!

Think! In people, when 1+1 equal more than 2, it is called synergy! When it is less, conflict!

In what ways can you make 1+1 more than 2, in your personal life, business, health?

Expand your point of view!

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Early 20th century scientific research on how the brain stores memories had shown that rats could still run a maze with a major part of their brain removed, which brought about the conclusion that memories were not stored in the brain, but throughout the whole body (the basis of the scientific proof of the mind-body connection).

Karl Pribram, in his pioneering work on the brain and the nervous system which led to the development of the holonomic model, shows that memories are stored, not in cells, but as wave patterns. His breakthrough discovery that the Human nervous system functions a hologram opened a whole new dimension to how we see the Mind and the nervous system (have you ever heard that we are only using 10% of the capacities of our brain?). A hologram is a light field resulting from the interference of two light beams (one of them going through an object) on a recording medium which appears as a 3D object. One of the interesting qualities of the hologram is that if you break the holographic plate, you get 2 whole pictures.

It is interesting to note that all the Fathers of Quantum Physics, as well as Einstein were familiar with Eastern Esoteric schools of thought and practices which focus on the underlying Oneness of consciousness pervading the multiplicity we see in the physical world, including ourselves. (See David Bohm’s conversation with Krishnamurti on Youtube).

Karl Pribram’s holonomic model leads to the question that mystics have been asking for centuries: if the human nervous system is a hologram, what it is a hologram of? Interestingly, the basic presupposition of the Indian Tantric school, as it appeared around the 6th century AD is: the Human being is a contracted form of the Supreme. The practice in Tantra is expansion. Indeed, what are we a hologram of?

“Consciousness is all there is” is the basis of Advaita Vedanta, a school founded in 800AD by Sri Shankaracharya, which takes it origins in Vedic times in the Upanishads. If we accept, as Modern Science has already started to demonstrate, that multiplicity and separation are an illusion, or that at least they are only real at a very gross level, then we have to completely reconstruct our model of the world AND of who we are and where we stand.

Indeed, we understand reality through the filters of our limited perceptions and give names to the forms we see in the physical world (“Namarupa”). The human nervous system however cannot fathom the vastness of infinity and wholeness, and needs to create duality (male/female, good/bad, black/white) in order to bring structure and understanding to daily life.

The practice of Advaita Vedanta is “Apavada” or deconstruction of the illusion of multiplicity.

“Consciousness is all there is”. Ramesh Balsekar is the most advanced proponent and teacher of Advaita Vedanta in the world today. Ramesh holds satsang at his home in Bombay every morning; he wrote numerous books, one of which is highly recommended as an introduction to Advaita Vedanta: “A personal religion of your own” (Zen Publication).

To Be Continued…

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