Re-framing strategies seamlessly allow the staff to accept changes through including them in the change process. Inclusion allows us to fulfill a number of our personal needs; belonging, power, responsibility, challenge, and acknowledgment. This dynamic alone helps middle management and staff to accept and pursue excellence on a company level.

The concept of re-framing is the one situation can be viewed for many perspectives. Re-framing is rearranging the components of a situation in order to change the associations that it has to an individual. The process requires the use of some of the directive communication principals, as the leader must direct the managers to believe that the implementation and ideas are theirs (even if they are not). And the managers must do the same to their subordinates.

Those things that employees complain about can be made into the challenges they have the opportunity to fix. The initial stage will educate the staff in Directive Communication to give them further insight into why things are the way they are, the things that are changing and how that will make things different, and their part in making things the way they want them to be.

A re-framed perspective will give employees the power to appreciate their own contribution to the company and realize they can make a difference.

The strategies are as follows:

Directive questions for influence

In essence, directive questions are a form of hypnotism because a suggestion is placed in a person's subconscious that influences their conscious behavior. Proper use of directive questions focuses the subconscious to create an impression that can become almost real to the individual. For example, if an individual asks "what would be an ideal environment for you to work in?" then continued with "what if that environment were a realty here in this company, how do you think that would affect you?" Then continue with "you and the team have come up with … , how do you think that would help this to happen?"
The series of questions first get the individual to visualize an ideal situation, the second question brings that ideal situation to a possible reality, and the third question relates that reality to the changes that are being implemented while making the individual a part of the solution. While it may sound simple, this can be a powerful tool when implementing change and re-framing a culture. Many leaders will try to sell an idea to their subordinates, and while people will follow, their actual buy-in of the project or idea may be less than enthusiastic which will eventually reflect in the results.
Leadership Rapport

There are 5 different types of rapport; the most important in staff re-framing is called Leadership Rapport since it more directly influences groups. Leadership rapport starts with setting goal to accomplish the changes that are desired in the organization, these goals are set together with the middle management, who in turn will get feedback and grievances from the staff. The rules to implementation are as follows:

§ Make sure everyone knows the overall objective
§ Let them participate in the Solution
§ Have them set realistic time lines to implement the Solution
§ Create measurable millstones
§ Let them know exactly what the end result will look like

Feedback is essential to the process and must be initiated from the top down as well as bottom up. Leaders must be able to request and take direct feedback from their subordinates in order to gain trust and show their sincerity to improve. This is often hindered by some leaders need to prove they are the boss in order to maintain control. This actually has more negative effects than positive. Subordinates usually accept authority without a leaders need to emphasis it, and bottom up feedback can significantly assist in re-framing and give important insights to manage the overall organization.
In top down feedback the leader must emphasis that the organization is directing the process and that he is simply guiding the process. Ownership MUST be with the employees and feedback can help them to think the program is a success and that they are making it that way. If a group feels successful as a group, they begin to become more cohesive and supportive of one another. That support manifests itself in better communication, and higher productivity.

For change to occur, staff must believe that change can happen, they must believe that change will help the quality of their life, they must believe that the leaders are committed to making it happen, and they must believe they have a say in what change is to be made.

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