FRAMING AS AN ART

We all frame. We frame because to understand anything requires a way to interpret things. To even hear the familiar everyday words, “How are you?” requires a frame. Normally, we use the greeting frame to understand those words. It is actually not a request for a health report, only an acknowledge of your presence. It is a longer version of “hi.” You would, however, give a health report if your medical doctor asked, “How are you?” And you’d give a much more personal report about yourself if a therapist asked that question.

We frame also in order that we are not mis-understood. Normally in conversation if someone interrupts us, we are likely to interpret that person as being rude, impolite, impatient, or lacking social skills. In the coaching conversation, however, we need to interrupt to catch a frame or a key structural code of a client, so we have to set the frame about interruption.

“Because coaching is designed to detect and identify the structural frames that may be creating your experience, I will be interrupting you whenever I hear a word, phrase, or question that may indicate such.”