The Power of Framing: Creating the Language of Leadership

The Power of Framing shows leaders and managers how to tap into the power of language so they can persuade effectively and communicate credibly in today’s business environment.

According to professor and management consultant Gail Fairhurst, through framing we define the meaning of “the situation here and now.” Are we in a “crisis”? Is this situation merely a “cause for concern”? Should we be on “red-alert”? These are examples of how we frame the situations we face. When we connect with others through our framing, we shape reality. What’s more, if we “manage meaning” when others are unable, we emerge as leaders.

Fairhurst draws examples from a wide range of sources including business, politics, sports, academia, and the arts to bring the concept of framing to life as an everyday communication skill. She includes a diagnostic instrument to help gauge your sensitivity to the framing concept. Fairhurst even dons her hat as an executive coach to tackle the common framing dilemmas that leaders face.

The Power of Framing challenges leaders to take it up a notch by viewing framing as:

• A skill that leaders must master to communicate vision and set priorities
• A science that shows leaders how to think on their feet and frame on the spot
• An art form that leaders must hone like a craft with story, metaphor, argument, and visual images as their primary tools
• A set of emotions that leaders must deploy to complement their message
• An ethical response in order for leaders to achieve and maintain believability, and so much more

The Power of Framing is a must-read for today’s leaders, managers, and all those aspiring to these jobs. Its easy-to-read style and practice exercises make this a book you’ll turn to time and again to sharpen your most important communications.

GAIL T. FAIRHURST is an award-winning professor of communication at the University of Cincinnati, where she teaches leadership and organizational communication. She has also been a speaker, management consultant, and executive coach for McDonald’s, Boeing, Procter & Gamble, General Electric, State Farm Insurance, Merrill Lynch, and the Children’s Hospital of Cincinnati, among other organizations.