REFRAMING

POSITIONS TO
INTEREST
Framing refers to the way a conflict is
described or a proposal is worded. It is the
manner in which a client describes the way he
or she sees a conflict situation, goal, concern
(interest) or issue.
Reframing is the process of changing the
way a thought is presented so that it
maintains its fundamental meaning but is
more likely to support resolution efforts.
 Purposes of framing and reframing

 Define or re-define the way parties describe events,

emotions and needs
 Add clarity to the meaning parties are trying to relate to
the intervenor and other parties
 Help parties gain a better understanding of events and
their own feelings and needs
 Change the perspective away from positional
negotiation to interest based negotiation
 Break negotiation deadlocks by breaking
down the issues or making them more
general
 Soften or strengthen demands or threats
 Change the perspective of emotional or
value-laden messages to enhance
understanding
The idea behind REFRAMING is
“to change the
conceptual and/or
emotional setting or
viewpoint in relation to
which a situation is
experienced and to place it
in another frame which fits the
‘facts’ of the same concrete
situation equally well, or even
better, and thereby changes
its entire meaning.”
 SETTING THE STAGE FOR REFRAMING

Parties enter into conflict resolution processes with their own

interpretation of the problem: what issues are in dispute, why
the problem has arisen, and how best to resolve the conflict.

One of the first things a mediator does in

the mediation process is to get the parties to explain their
view of the problem. This allows the sides, as well as the
mediator, to see how each is framing the conflict.

In most cases, these initial statements will reveal very different

views of the dispute.
Reframing should be done in a way that allows
the client or opposing party the opportunity
to clarify or correct the reframe if it does not
adequately identify their needs.
Reframing should not distort the content of what
the client or opposing party is saying.
Reframing can be useful in the following ways:
To tone down on a blaming or critical statement and state
in a positive frame.
To shift from negative to positive.
To shift from past to future.
To identify the needs or concerns behind a stated position,
which helps the clients to analyse their own perspectives
and clarify their thoughts.
To identify the issue that needs to be resolved. To
emphasize common concerns or common ground.
To acknowledge emotions but not as a central focus
REFRAMING TECHNIQUES
How a mediator approaches the reframing process
necessarily depends heavily on the type of conflict at hand.
As noted, the goal of reframing is to develop a mutually
acceptable definition of the problem.

Therefore, when redefining interest-related issues, it is

crucial to include all essential interests of both sides in the
new definition.
A common way mediators accomplish this is to shift the
level of generality or specificity of the issue.
Much of the reframing process is "about
changing the verbal presentation of
an idea, concern, proposal, or question
so that the party's essential interest is
still expressed but unproductive
language, emotion, position taking,
and accusations are removed.“
Therefore, it is important that
mediators are careful with the language
they use to reframe problems.
Another technique of reframing involves the use
of ACTIVE LISTENING
Communicating through active listening is
not done in a neutral and non-evaluative
way.  By formulation, a technique
where the listener reflects back
thoughts and feelings without
making judgments, the listener
necessarily puts his or her own
influence onto the meaning of the
reflection. This can be merely done by
tonally highlighting different words or
it can be by transforming the whole
meaning of the words.
ACCORDING TO BRUCE
PHILLIPS REFORMULATION (OR REFRAMING)
THROUGH ACTIVE LISTENING OCCURS IN THREE
WAYS:

First, by reflecting back words, the mediator can

“select and ignore particular issues.”
Second, “reformulations can be used to control the
communication in the session by either inviting or
discouraging collaboration on meaning-making for
those topics chosen.”
Finally, he argues that “reformulations transform the
meaning of the disputant’s utterances.
Katherine Hale utilizes dramatic
themes to show how a mediator can
reframe a conflictShe argues that people in conflict
are typically in one of the
problematic drama frames. 

These include the:

“TRAGIC FRAME” where the one party
views itself as a hero in a battle
against hostile forces. The other side
is viewed as evil and all-powerful. She
states that the hero sees the other side
as having “no legitimate concerns, no
valid but different point of view.”

Parties in mediation who are caught in

the tragic frame show little willingness to
resolve the dispute.
A second problematic frame is the:
“EUPHEMISTIC FRAME.” In this frame the
party believes that its view of the conflict is
justified by a higher order such as “for God”
or “for justice.” This frame leads the party
to hold onto the status quo. So long as
either party stays entrenched in the status
quo, resolution is not a likely possibility.

 A third problematic frame is the:

“DEBUNKING FRAME.”Here the party in this
frame sees the other side as wholly guided
by “self-serving motives.” The “debunker
uses language aggressively and
restrictively.” This distrustful frame makes
it very difficult for a resolution to arise.
The role of the mediator in Hale’s model is to
reframe the story into the

“COMIC OR HOPEFUL FRAME.” This

frame assumes that “people can change, situations
can change, [and] systems can change.” It is above
all a hopeful frame. This frame holds that a mediator
should attempt to “reframe to focus on the larger
system, or the bigger picture.” The mediator should
promote a belief in change and self-
examination. Hale states that “[a] comic frame
monitors the symbols by which others define
situations and bring about identification.”

One way the mediator can help create this frame is by

manipulating the choice of metaphors, symbols,
stories or information reflected back which guide
the conflict.
 Lastly, parties must be explicit about the issues that
divide them in order for the mediator to successfully help
reframe the problem in terms that facilitate agreement. Often
there is a cycle of exchanges between the parties and the
mediator. As parties become more comfortable with the
conflict resolution process they become more explicit about
their issues.

Ultimately, the acceptance of the reframing

of an issue "is a result of timing
and the psychological
readiness of the parties
to accept the definition
of the situation."
At their most basic level each of these
techniques have a common structure. That
structure involves taking the
framework that each participant in a
conflict holds from one of
negativity to one that
focuses on the positive
opportunities for resolution.
"The art of reframing is to
maintain the conflict in all its
richness but to help people
look at it in a more open-
minded and hopeful way." --
Bernard Mayer, in The Dynamics of Conflict
Resolution, p.139
THANK YOU!!!!