Our discussion of of The Art of Framing, the Language of Leaders, by Gail Fairhurst and Robert A. Sarr prompted Book Banter attendees to reflect on our own use of language. We determined to improve our skills in selecting words when we interact with others. We recommend this book to professionals who interact with clients, staff, and their own families. It is especially applicable to leaders and aspiring leaders who strive to "manage meaning" in organizations.
According to the authors, we must ask the following questions whenever we consider the perspective of others:
Our mental models are "points of reference," "paradigms," or "personal views" of how the world works. Our models evolve, grow, and change with time and are strongly influenced by our experiences with people and in the world. Our mental models do not perfectly reflect reality, and that's okay. Nevertheless, we should work continuously to deepen and broaden our mental models.
The framing techniques described by the author allow us to differentiate between what is explicit and what is ambiguous. By identifying the purposes of our communications for ourselves and the relevance of our communications to our receivers we can more effectively frame our communications.
To challenge our assumptions about everyday communications at work, Deane Gradous led us through two active exercises: "I'll do it later" and "Where is your report?" These exercises raised our awareness of typical-sounding verbal exchanges between persons in performance situations that could subtly indicate a lack of responsibility by one or both parties to the exchange. Such exchanges must be challenged, or expectations will not be met and performance will suffer.
We
came away from our discussion of The Art of Framing resolved to frame important
communications by priming our mental models, recognizing the mental models of
others, and selecting meaningful language.