How you frame your leadership message determines how it lands. The same message, presented in a different frame, can inspire trust or trigger resistance. It can open doors of possibility or close minds before a conversation has even begun.
Framing is not about spin. It’s about the strategic choices leaders make in how they shape, structure and position their words so they resonate with people at a deeper level.
Why framing matters
Leaders know how difficult it is to influence people’s attitudes and behaviours. That’s because when confronted with a new idea, people filter it through their values, beliefs and lived experiences.
If the idea fits their worldview, it feels safe and familiar, and the message is more likely to be accepted. On the other hand, if it conflicts, it may be dismissed outright, no matter how logical or well-intentioned it is.
Think about it this way: every audience you communicate with, whether your team, your customers or your community, already has mental models that shape how they interpret the world.
Your job as a leader is not to bulldoze through those models but to bridge to them. The frame you choose is that bridge.
Anchoring ideas in shared meaning
If you want to influence attitudes or behaviours, frame your idea by attaching it to a pre-existing value or belief of your audience.
For example, if you’re promoting a new childcare centre, your message could be framed through what matters most to parents, such as children’s play, learning, safety and nutrition. By aligning your message to what people already care about, you increase the chance of it landing as intended.
This principle applies across all contexts, whether you’re driving organisational change, introducing a new technology or advocating for policy. Framing provides a lens of relevance, helping people see why your message matters to them, not just to you.
Four ways to frame your message for greater impact
Here are some practical ways leaders can frame messages more effectively:
- Frame by values
Anchor your message in shared values so it resonates deeply. Values create an emotional connection and provide common ground. For instance, instead of saying, ‘This decision is about balancing the budget’, reframe with, ‘This decision is about being responsible stewards of our resources and community assets.’ The first is transactional. The second is relational and principled.
- Frame by purpose
Connect your message to the bigger picture – the ‘why’ that gives it meaning. For instance, instead of saying, ‘We’re introducing a new tech system’, reframe with, ‘We’re introducing a new tech system so we can free up your time for the work that really makes a difference for our customers’. The focus shifts from process to purpose and people are more likely to engage when they understand the benefits.
- Frame with optimism
People are naturally energised by possibility and weighted down by limitation. For instance, instead of saying, ‘That’s unlikely to work’, reframe with, ‘Let’s give it a go; we have a great opportunity here.’ Optimism sparks momentum while negativity shuts it down.
- Frame future-focused
Show people the path forward and what the future could bring. For instance, instead of saying, ‘This change will be a bumpy road for us all’, reframe with, ‘This change will have its challenges but together we can position ourselves for long-term success’. People are more willing to navigate short-term discomfort when they see a hopeful future on the horizon.
Three questions to ask yourself
Before your next leadership conversation, pause and reflect by asking yourself, ‘Am I framing this message:
- through scarcity or abundance?
- through limitation or possibility?
- through my lens or through theirs?
These questions help you check whether your message is being shaped in a way that engages, inspires and aligns, or not.
Framing as leadership communication in action
Framing is not about glossing over facts or ignoring reality. It’s about meaning-making. Leaders who master framing help people see issues through a lens of relevance and relatability.
- When you frame with values, you connect to what people hold dear.
- When you frame with purpose, you inspire alignment to something bigger than the task at hand.
- When you frame with optimism, you spark hope and possibility.
- And when you frame with a future-focus, you encourage people to move forward together.
Framing is a discipline of transformational communication. It elevates your message beyond information only to being both illuminating and inspiring. Because in the end, your choice of words matters. With framing, your audience not only hears your message, but can also feel it, believe it and act on it.
(c) Ros Weadman 2025
