Campaigning to Change the World? First, Master Your Frame

It isn't easy taking charge of public conversation, whether you represent a corporation with money in its pockets or a neighbourhood organization with naught but a laptop to its name.

No matter how important or incendiary your message may be, it won't make it onto the public agenda if it's poorly communicated.

How to make sure the message sticks? The winning ones usually fall within mental templates that communications folks call strategic frames. A successful frame extends the reach of messages by helping audiences understand issues in their proper context and triggering the change you want to see.

At least, that's how James Boothroyd tells it. And after 15 years as a communications specialist and consultant, working nationally and internationally, you can be sure there's something to it.

All those who craft messages for the public -- activists, campaigners, communicators -- are invited to attend a Tyee Master Class on April 30 with Boothroyd, who's also a self-described activist and former journalist.

Participants in the class will learn how to craft strategic frames and messages that target key audiences and create change.

''Good public demonstrations can, without money or much organization, change the way their participants and millions of us see the world, obliterating the costly public relations strategies of big industries and bad governments,'' Boothroyd says.

Back by popular demand, Boothroyd's Master Class this Saturday will introduce the art and science of framing, with plenty of time for participants to workshop their ideas and get personalized feedback.

Last year's Strategic Frames and Messaging Demystified class sold out. If you would like to participate, reserve your seat now.

''Jim is a pro, knows his stuff and imparted it very well. Pacing, variety, spontaneous. I learned a lot. Also, the Tyee and Jim pull a good crowd. What an excellent group of people in the class. Lots of time for discussion and hands-on participation. Jim's instant assessment of our work and incisive feedback was tremendously useful.'' – Participant in Strategic Frames and Messaging Demystified with James Boothroyd, spring 2015

Transit referendum: a lesson in framing

''Frames'' are mental structures that order our ideas, Boothroyd says. There are at least two types, according to leading thinkers such as George Lakoff: conceptual frames, which are deeply embedded in our unconscious minds, such as the notions of freedom, tyrannical ruler or strict parent; and strategic frames, which are also known as narrative frames, and are those we develop as tools.

Boothroyd continues:

''Good strategic frames often link into deeper conceptual frames, so you need to choose your frame carefully so that your messages and narrative are credible to your audience.

''For example, the 'Yes' side during last year's Metro Vancouver transit referendum made use of the 'smart growth' strategic frame to advance messages about more transit money providing for more buses, faster commutes, less time stuck in traffic. These were fairly rational, unemotional arguments.

''The 'No' side used a simple and more emotional strategic frame that characterized the transit authority as greedy and untrustworthy -- tapping into the conceptual frame of the tyrant. Early communications gaffes by TransLink supported this view, and the short campaign period prevented the 'Yes' side from reframing the issue before voting began.

''Opponents of the transit plan were able, therefore, to appeal to the public's indignation about TransLink -- values of fairness, justice -- but also to their self-interest.

''The 'No' side appealed to people's self-interests and their concern for protecting their pocket books and hedonistic pleasure,'' Boothroyd concludes, referring to a website that listed things residents would have to give up if an additional sales tax for transit was imposed, such as a Whistler day-trip and dinners out.

He also says it's important that campaigns play off of existing ideas in the public conversation, such as wanting fewer taxes, rather than creating entirely new frames to support a cause.

''It helps if the frame is one that people can recognize easily,'' he says. ''People are much more comfortable with things they already know.''

Ready to change the conversation?

Boothroyd notes that activating values and suppressing opposing values can also bring about social change, as work by the U.K.-based Common Cause Foundation has shown.

He cites the example of values of self-sacrifice and public good during Second World War campaigns carried over to post-war U.K., which brought about the 1945 victory of the Labour Party and the creation of the National Health Service.

''[That] previously would've been considered quite radical,'' he says.

Tyee Master Class attendees are encouraged to bring their own frames and ideas to be workshopped by peers and tested on Boothroyd.

Boothroyd will also share his comments on recent political campaigns, such as the Canadian federal election and the U.S. presidential primaries.

''[Donald] Trump has diverged from the Republican frame that free trade is something that is undeniably good,'' he says. ''It suggests that if Trump succeeds, there will be a major shift in the American political landscape and the discourse of right and left.''

It's yet another example of the power that framing has over the public conversation.

Don't miss this great opportunity to learn how to create effective messages with James Boothroyd. Registration includes coffee from Salt Spring Coffee, a catered lunch from Terra Breads, a glass of Howe Sound Brewing beer to share with classmates, plus $50 free drive time from our promotional partner MODO (new MODO customers only). Register for one Tyee Master Class and get 25 per cent off the registration price for any other class in the spring series. For the whole class lineup, go here.

For information about Strategic Frames and Messaging Demystified with James Boothroyd on April 30, go here.

Read more: Rights + Justice, Politics