How to reframe and stick to your story
There may be times when you’re called on to respond to someone else’s communications or questions – often called reactive communications. This may be in a live situation like a media interview, meeting or presentation, or in other communication formats that require a timely response like social media. Use these replacement frames to help you respond and stick to your story.
Remember: don’t repeat the unhelpful frame to refute it (‘myth-busting’) as this can reinforce it – simply state the more helpful frame instead.
Unhelpful frames being used
Helpful frame to
use instead
Unhelpful frame:
Individualism – making good choices
It is up to us as individuals to make good choices on how we live in our homes.
“It is up to each one of us to make smart choices about how we want to live.”
“As householders, we can choose to prioritise healthy improvements like insulation and quality curtains”
Helpful frame to
use instead
We can redesign the systems and standards to benefit us all
When our system ensures all people can access a decent home people will have a strong foundation in life.
We all deserve decent homes that meet our different needs.
By having clear standards of what makes a decent home, we can make sure that everyone, including people who rent, have homes that take care of them across every stage of their lives.
This is the practical and reliable way to ensure that all people can live well and participate at work, in school, and in our communities.
Unhelpful frames being used
Helpful frame to
use instead
Unhelpful frame:
Fatalism
Those solutions won’t work here/ we don’t need to meet that standard here.
“NZ is such a small country. It is never going to be easy to build at a scale that makes higher standards affordable.”
Helpful frames to
use instead
Strengths-based /systems
We already know how to make sure our homes take care of us at every stage of life.
“When the government, developers, councils, designers, and builders work together we can ensure homes are built and renovated to make sure everyone can live life to the full, participating in work, school, and community.”
“We have already seen this work…[add an example here]”
Unhelpful frames being used
Helpful frame to
use instead
Unhelpful frame:
Government over-reach
The idea that the government needs to get out of the way and let the market sort it out.
“The government shouldn’t be over-regulating the housing and building market.”
“They don’t know what’s going on on the ground; they act like what works for Auckland will work in Southland!”
“Property owners should be able to make choices for themselves about where they spend their money. And the market will respond.”
Helpful frames to
use instead
Self direction values – everyone having options
Equity values – we all deserve a decent home
The idea that a house that isn’t looking after people well reduces their options to participate in life.
We all deserve options in life and decent homes give us options so we can all participate in work, school and community.
At the moment too many people live in homes that aren’t doing their job. This means people have fewer options for living a dignified life. Homes that aren’t well insulated put an extra burden on families with higher heating bills. Cold and damp homes lead to poor health and missing out on work and school.
The government has a responsibility to set the standards of what makes a decent home. This helps make sure our housing system creates options for all people, including people that rent, to live well and participate in life.
Unhelpful frames being used
Helpful frame to
use instead
Unhelpful frame:
Money is the reason – cost savings from taking action
The idea that saving money is the most important reason to improve homes.
Good insulation, ventilation, and double glazing can save homeowners thousands.
Upgrading social housing could save the government millions on maintenance costs and costs in health care down the line.
Helpful frame to
use instead
Public good/ People are the reason
The idea that homes have a job to do to care for people
We all benefit when our homes enable people to live well at every stage of their lives.
Our homes have a job to do to care for people across every stage of their lives.
At the moment, our homes aren’t doing a good enough job for most NZers. This means too many people have preventable illness, like childhood asthma, from living in homes that are too cold or damp.
But we know what to do to make our homes warm, dry, and well ventilated.
Prioritising standards that ensure decent homes with insulation, ventilation and double glazing that keep people well is the responsible thing for the government to do. Over time it also frees up our shared resources from paying for preventable illness towards getting the things we need for a thriving community. Or…
If the government, developers, councils, designers and builders all work together NZ can be innovative. There are good examples of people building in a way (e.g. KO building at scale, modular housing) that could be scaled up if everyone worked together.
With a focus on decent homes, everyone can live life to the fullest and participatein work, school and community.
Unhelpful frames being used
Helpful frame to
use instead
Unhelpful frame:
Money is the reason – too expensive to improve homes
“The cost to raise standards in our homes is too much in a cost of living crisis”
“This will push up building costs and make homes unaffordable”
Helpful frame to
use instead
Public good/ People are the reason
“Our homes have a job to do to care for people across every stage of their lives. When our homes are warm, dry, well ventilated, and support our wellbeing we can all live well. This means being able to get work and get to work, and participate in school and community.”
Prioritising standards that ensure decent homes with insulation, ventilation and double glazing is the pragmatic and responsible thing for the government, developers, councils, designers and builders to do.
Over time it also frees up our shared resources from paying for preventable illness towards getting the things we need for a thriving community.
