Have you ever been a part of a meeting or respondent interview that felt confusing from the very beginning? If so, there’s a good chance that it left you wondering, “why are we here and what are we trying to achieve?”
Unfortunately, most of us have had this experience and, more often than not, the main reason is because the person leading the conversation didn’t provide enough information to help the audience understand the context of and purpose for the conversation.
Whether you’re leading a meeting or interviewing a respondent, knowing how to effectively frame the conversation is a skill that is crucial to success.
Framing tells your audience ahead of time what you’re planning to talk about, why it is being discussed, and how it will help achieve your goals. In essence, framing orients the audience in such a way that they can more effectively participate and communicate.
Whether you are having a business meeting or conducting a respondent interview, framing sets the agenda for the conversation and creates an agreement with the audience as to what you plan to achieve with the time you’re spending together.
Here are a couple of examples for each context mentioned above:
Meeting Introduction: “We are working on the _______ project and I need your help to take _________ action / make _________ decision. Before we work together on that, I’d like to provide a brief update on where we are before we discuss where we’d like to go. Does that work for you?”
Interview Introduction: “We are working to prepare a report to understand ________. To help us ensure that it covers all of the important points, we are going to spend the next hour discussing __________. I’d like to ask you more questions about ________ than you’re probably used to answering because we’re genuinely interested in learning about your approach. If you don’t feel comfortable answering any question, just pass on it. Do you have any questions before we begin?”
This quick setup to the conversation communicates to the audience how you’re planning to use the time and what you need from them. It also asks the audience to commit to helping you while providing them with an opportunity to ask questions or share other ideas for the conversation before moving forward.
At Quantum Leap Insights, we utilize the above technique at the beginning of every facilitated dialogue – whether it’s a client kick-off meeting, stakeholder interview, or a moderated discussion. In our experience, when everyone is aligned before moving on with the rest of the conversation, discussions inevitably lead to far more impactful outcomes.