You're the artist. Choose the frame.

What’s the true cost of your message not landing? 

You’ve crafted it. You’ve invested in it. And it matters. 

But you only get so many windows to help it land. How many meetings do you have to secure buy-in? 

Not many. 

Which is why the early moments of a conversation are a moment of truth. Before you make your case. Before you share your views. Before any of that. 

It’s the moment when the frame is set.

The frame that shapes what they sense the conversation is really about, what matters and how they feel about it. 

Those first minutes aren't for dumping content. They're for setting the frame. Because the frame changes what people see and value before they've heard a word of your message. So slow down and frame for: 

⏵ Context - get them on the same page 

⏵ Relevance - help them see why it matters to them 

⏵ Direction - agree on where the conversation is heading 

Hang your message without a frame, and people won’t see it as you intended. Worse - they’ll put their own frame around it. One that makes your work look smaller, cheaper or just plain wrong. 

Don’t let that happen. 

I'm running a session on framing tomorrow. It's one of those topics that sounds simple until you realise how much rides on getting it right.

You’re the artist. Choose the frame.