Strategic Frame Analysis™ is a proprietary approach to communications research and practice that pays attention to the public's deeply held worldviews and widely held assumptions. This approach was developed at the FrameWorks Institute using a multi-disciplinary approach to evaluate the effects of various frame elements on support for social policies. Recognizing that there is more than one way to tell a story, Strategic Frame Analysis™ taps into decades of research on how people think and communicate. The result is an empirically-driven communications process that makes academic research understandable, interesting, and usable to help people solve social problems.

Quite simply, framing refers to the subtle selection of certain aspects of an issue in order to cue a specific response; as researchers have shown, the way an issue is framed explains who is responsible, and suggests potential solutions conveyed by images, stereotypes, messengers, and metaphors. The advantage of strategic frame analysis™ is that it allows the research to document and deconstruct the frames currently in the public consciousness and to understand their impact on public policy preferences. Additionally, it allows us to test and validate, through different disciplines, both the negative frames and the potential positive reframes that can further an issue's salience. Finally, the effectiveness of the recommendations we make can be demonstrated; while we hope we are "creative" in our approach to communications, our findings are rooted in the social and cognitive sciences. We can explain what works and why it works, and demonstrate this across the research.

How can you learn more about strategic frame analysis™? Click on the links below to read more about strategic frame analysis™ and how it can be applied to non-profit communications and advocacy.

Find out what FrameWorks collaborators have to say about FrameWorks Institute’s impact on their work to elevate the public discourse on social problems:

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• The FrameWorks Perspective

• Seven Stages

• Resources on Strategic Frame Analysis™

• Read an interview with Susan Nall Bales, President of FrameWorks

Where can you find out what type of research FrameWorks conducts? Click on the link below to read descriptions of our various research efforts.

What kinds of products does FrameWorks produce to apply the research findings for practical use? Click on the link below to see descriptions and examples of the various tools and products FrameWorks can produce for its projects.

• Products and Tools