Frame the Story
“…Transported to a surreal landscape, a young girl kills the first person she meets and then teams up with three strangers to kill again.”
This TV Guide description of the 1939 movie classic “The Wizard of Oz” is technically true and kind of funny, but probably isn’t the way most people would describe the movie. It is a great example of framing. We frame pictures, but we also frame stories.
“The Wizard of Oz” is a movie rich with enduring and emotionally resonant themes, which is what makes it a classic over many generations. It’s about friendship, family, fantastic journeys, obstacles, good and evil. But what might be most resonant is that it’s about discovering the power within yourself, which you’ve had all along.
How is this related to communications, marketing, and PR? The essential skill of framing. When you tell a story designed to persuade people to feel some way, take a specific action, or reinforce your brand, the story has to be properly framed. The story of your business, nonprofit, or even yourself is rich with compelling aspects you can share to engage people. The challenge is not only identifying the element of your story that is most engaging for your audience but sharing it compellingly and concisely. This takes us back to the clever TV Guide description which is framed in such a way that it would appeal to people who like crime or murder mystery movies. I loved the “Wizard of Oz” but even as a child, I didn’t understand why Dorothy would leave Oz to go back to Kansas! If I were writing the TV Guide description it would sound like this: “Young girl has adventures in a magical land full of possibility, but inexplicably returns to her Depression-era dirt farm in Kansas.”
Framing your story is not easy. You need to get in the mindset of what appeals to your audience - are they crime and murder mystery fans or are they prematurely cynical children? Putting yourself in the mindset of your desired audience is the first step to framing your story. You can do it! To quote Glenda the Good Witch, “You’ve always had the power, my dear, you just had to learn it for yourself.”