Lcomm Lit Review PDF

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LCOMM Lit Review So what exactly is Framing? Framing reality means defining “the situation here and now” in ways that connect with others. Framing a subject is an act of persuasion by leaders. It is a way of communicating with the employees in a way that they can relate to. It must be done ethically otherwise it can backfire like how we saw in Robert Murray’s case. He promised the viewers and the families of the miners that his team would find the miners. Instead of only giving hope and offering support, he made promises which he was unable to fulfill. It is important for leaders to know what and how to say. “ Framing involves the ability to shape the meaning of a subject- usually the situation at hand- to judge its character and significance through the meanings we include and exclude, as well as those we emphasize while communicating” In his first formal news conference, he defined the situation in his own way. He was adamant that an earthquake has caused the collapse and not his company’s practice of ‘retreat mining’. This was the picture or STORY he was portraying to the public. Now, is framing a structured way of thinking or an act of communicating? It is bothA frame is that mental picture and framing is the process of communicating that picture to others. However, we don’t know what mental picture Murray had in his mind. When I was in the 11th grade, I was a part of the student council of my school. 4 student council members including myself, were conducting a workshop for 20 7th grade students. It was during after school hours and so it was only a few council members, the juniors and 2 teachers. All of a sudden, the teacher got a call from the principal of our school. They had got information which said that there was a riot in the area against the government. They were armed and out of control. It was on us to ‘frame the reality’ for the 7th graders. We told the students that there was a group of peaceful protesters in the area and they were fighting for a good cause. We could not leave the building till they dispersed since there was a traffic jam. We reiterated the fact that it was a peaceful protest. This was the first time I was in such a leadership position. It was the first time I had to frame the reality for someone. Due to this incident, Framing is a very significant reading for me. The

reasons for framing the reality are different in given situations, but both examples have the leader communicating the facts in the way he/she wants the people to take it. Hence, both are relevant examples of framing reality. There are 3 communication styles given in this reading1. Expressive- here, the primary goal is to express yourself. You may be considered blunt, but at the same time, people find you trust worthy. 2. Conventional- here, you do what is appropriate to the situation and readily follow social norms. The downside here is that most situations can be rather fixed. 3. Strategic- here, there is heightened sensitivity to the language and one is precise while choosing it. This may be the most ideal style. I would put myself in the Conventional style. Through this paper, the readings and my life experiences, I aim to evolve into a strategic communicator one day. The communication styles mentioned may be accurate only till a certain extent. In modern day leadership, communication cannot be only theoretical. It depends from situation to situation and leader to leader. So one needs to keep in mind that just by reading this chapter, they are not going to be perfect at communication.

StorytellingWe have all grown up listening to all kinds of stories. At that time though, stories had the power to send us into our dream world. But as we grow up, stories start holding different meanings. For me, they now have a different significance. Stories are now all about companies and employees and the board of directors. The only thing that has remained the same is Conflict. Stories were incomplete without conflict then and they are incomplete without conflict now. Disney is the perfect example for this as they have risen to glory and failed miserably innumerable times all due to internal conflict. The heroes and opposing forces can be identified clearly in the Disney conflict.

It is upto the employees to build and sustain a brand through storytelling. A story that ‘beats the path to the heart of the consumer’ is the ideal one. There may be certain situations where the company does not follow the same ethics which they talked about in their story and this can cause a backlash. This may infuriate the consumers. This

is why storytelling may fail sometimes.

Credibility is the foundation of leadershipA research was conducted on what qualities people want or expect from their leaders. The qualities that would make them willingingly follow their leaders and not only because it was necessary. They came down to a list of 20 attributes that were the most common and called it Characteristics of Admired Leaders (CAL) For the majority of people to follow someone willingly, they want a leader who they believe is: Honest, Inspiring , Competent and Forward looking. Putting it all together, credibility is the foundation of leadership. These key characteristics make up what communication experts refer to as Source Credibility If you don't believe in the messenger, you won’t believe the message If the immediate manager is perceived to have high credibility, the followers are more likely to; Be proud to tell others they are a part of the organisation Feel attached and committed to the organisation I can relate this to an incident my mother had told me a few years ago. She was working as a teacher with a particular school. The Principal had recently changed and she did not have a good track record. The teachers and other employees did not trust her with their problems and suggestions. The work atmosphere changed drastically and the attachment to the organisation was almost gone. This made me realise that being a leader isn’t always about the big things. It starts with mutual trust and understanding. Having said that, every follower is different and every leader needs to adjust and make changes for them. Without thinking from the followers perspective, leaders cannot be successful. This is something that this chapter may not have touched upon completely.

The reading I could resonate with the most was Fairhust(2011). It is I would say, the toughest part of leadership. But once a leader can learn this art, communicating with the world will be easier.

References02 Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2017). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations (6th. ed.). San Francisco, CA: JosseyBass. (pp. 1-40) 10 Fairhurst, G. T. (2011). The power of framing: Creating the language of leadership. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. (pp. 1-27). 11 Fog, K., Budtz, C., & Yakaboylu, B. (2010). Storytelling: Branding in practice. (2nd. ed.). Berlin, Germany: Springer. (pp. 32-46 & 50-58)...