How can you frame social issues to resonate with stakeholders?

How an issue is framed can be the catalyst for true action. We’ve seen a huge response to the sewage scandal in the UK. Not just from surfers, swimmers and coastal communities, but from people across the entire country. That’s because campaigners have worked hard to shine a light on this issue, and correctly frame it as an injustice for both planet and people. If nature suffers, we all suffer. It’s a case of profit before people and planet, but on a huge scale. The UK is an island nation and we take huge pride in our water-based heritage. Tapping into the ways that water companies have been degrading both that history and our natural environment has made people sit up and take notice.

Start by considering what's in it for them and what stake they have in the issue. Analyze the attitudes, behaviors and lifestyle of the stakeholder group. Frame the issue in a way that connects with their attitudes and beliefs and clearly answers WHY and HOW to solve the problem.

This is a very important point! Framing social issues to resonate with stakeholders can make or break the success of a social impact organisation. It is also something which requires testing and feedback - like tuning a radio to the right frequency. You start by understanding their values and concerns, and presenting the issue in a way that aligns with their interests, and adapting your approach to their response. Say it's environmental sustainability: for business leaders, focus on long-term profitability and brand reputation; for community members, emphasize local health and well-being. It's about finding that common ground through shared perspectives that gets people excited about your work.

Framing is highly issue dependent- some issues are much more polarising than others. I find that using a Socratic deductive set of questions will help you frame a topic in the most relevant way. Engage in a dialogue and use the insights to find the common levers that offer an entry point to the issue that is compelling. I also use analogous examples to help frame these social issues.

Framing social issues to resonate with stakeholders is crucial for building support and driving positive change. By tailoring messaging to align with the values and priorities of stakeholders, such as policymakers, community leaders, or businesses, you can make the issue more personally relevant to them. This alignment increases the likelihood of stakeholders engaging with and championing the cause. For instance, framing environmental concerns in terms of economic impact may resonate with businesses, while emphasizing social justice aspects might appeal to community leaders. Ultimately, crafting messages that resonate with stakeholders not only garners support but also establishes a common ground.

In my experience using theatre with community has been a powerful tool. There are few strategies to effectively frame social issues- 1. By crafting narratives that depict real-life situations, showcasing the impact of the issue on diverse individuals. 2. Using relatable characters and plotlines that mirror the experiences of your target audience, fostering empathy and understanding. Incorporate interactive elements, like post-performance discussions or workshops, to engage stakeholders directly. 3. By making the social issue tangible and relatable, theatre becomes a powerful tool for fostering awareness and inspiring collective action.

Importantly, don't assume that how you talk about it will land the same for everyone. Different people have different priorities, so your narrative will likely need to vary between audiences.

I like to use analogies that include gardens as a social impact consultant. Why? Cultivating relationships requires planting soil and watering seeds. See how that visual is clear?

In my journey in a social impact, I've found that effectively framing social issues requires a blend of empathy, data, and storytelling. It's about connecting the issue to the stakeholders' values, using real-world data to highlight its relevance and urgency. The key is to craft a narrative that is not only informative but also emotionally resonant. This means using language and examples that are relatable, presenting the problem in a way that stakeholders can see their role in the solution. It's a strategic approach that transforms abstract concerns into concrete actions, making the stakeholders not just observers but active participants in creating change.

Effective framing can transform stakeholder perspectives. Take, for example, presenting homelessness not just as a social problem but as an opportunity for community engagement and development. Another instance is framing educational inequality in terms of future workforce development. These frames shift the focus from problems to solutions, encouraging active involvement from stakeholders.

Testing and refining frames is key for resonating with stakeholders. It involves gathering feedback from diverse groups, using surveys or focus groups, to gauge the impact of our messaging. This feedback loop allows us to fine-tune our approach, ensuring our frames are both compelling and effective in mobilizing action and support.

Stakeholders can be very diverse, from local communities to board members. There would be very different ways to engage with the aforementioned stakeholders as their nature and the value they add differ. However, here are some general ways to engage with stakeholders ethically: 1. It is important to provide maximum context to the problem you are trying to solve. This will enable more nuanced responses from stakeholder groups. 2. If data is being used to support your argument/give context, ensure that the data being presented is free from bias, up-to-date and presents both sides of the argument.

While framing social issues which resonates with stakeholders, we need to consider who are the stakeholders first. If it primarily consist of social investors then we need to frame our cause as per their needs. Their needs are specific so our cause should front loaded in any document. Accordingly, we have analyze who are our stakeholders.

I had to read the title of this post a couple of times to get my head around it. If, by stakeholders, you mean the people experiencing the problem, those living with it day-to-day, then I don't think you need to do any framing. What you're going to need to do is engage with them, spend time with them, get your head around the problem (they're almost always more complex than they first appear) and then find ways to co-create solutions. If donors need to be brought on board - say, for example, they're the stakeholder mentioned here - then the insights and stories you'll get from tackling the issues in a fully collaborative way will be hugely valuable. It never hurts being able to paint a picture of how the world will be better for people.