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36 of 40 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Amazon.com has far better books, August 25, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: The Art of Framing: Managing the Language of Leadership (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership) (Paperback)
Having already done extensive reading on charismatic leadership and the unique role of language in this ambiguous process, I was disappointed with this particular endeavor. It was too basic and shallow to be of any practical guidance. Certainly effective leadership depends on much more than the creative use of metaphor, analogy, and the like. I strongly suggest other books that take the idea of language and leadership much farther than this work, and with a much more academic, thorough and compelling approach, including Jay Conger's work on charismatic leadership (The Charismatic Leader: Behind the Mystique of Exceptional Leadership, Jay A. Conger, Jossey-Bass Publishers, 1989)
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An Effective Account of Framing in Business Settings, February 25, 2010
This review is from: The Art of Framing: Managing the Language of Leadership (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership) (Paperback)
As used in the book, "framing" refers to how a person through speech, culture, etc comes to interpret their experience. For example, business competition might be interpreted through the frame of "sports" (i.e. "get your head in the game","teaming").
The Art of Framing is not a comprehensive linguistic analysis of framing. While attempting to aid business leaders, the book also isn't a theoretical analysis of leadership communication. Instead, the book strives to clarify and explore (very) casually the role of framing in business leadership contexts without delving beyond everyday concepts---as in, this is not a sociological or rigorous psychological analysis. The book is written for laymen and is meant to provoke thought and inspire self-development. I recommend this text as a starting point for people trying to improve their communication skills.
As a side note, I've never written a review and don't unless I have a really good reason to. However, I felt compelled to in this case because, prior to my entry, The Art of Framing had a 1-star rating. This book without question does not deserve that low a score----writing style alone should give the author at least 2-stars. It's well written and, because it is also effective at what it's supposed to accomplish, I gave it a 4-star rating.
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5.0 out of 5 stars
Not for sales gurus or communications PhD's, but useful for everyone else, April 5, 2011
This review is from: The Art of Framing: Managing the Language of Leadership (J-B US non-Franchise Leadership) (Paperback)
I found this to be a particularly useful book to explain how "framing" and "managing meaning" is fundamental to successful leadership. The book was published 15 years ago as I write this review, and work in the fields of leadership and communication has surely developed, but I still did not find this book to be dated.
It is not too academic nor too deep on the subject of leadership to distract from the purpose--understanding the effective use of language in management. It's perfect for a "practiced novice" like myself who is looking to discover new ideas and put labels on existing but amorphous ones. The snippets of actual conversations that included from their research could sometimes seem out of context but anyone who has worked in a production environment can practically visualize these conversations taking place. They also make passing reference to previously published studies on langauge and leadership and those who want to delve further into a concept can and should look up the source material.
Lots of useful information on how to value the concept of framing, recognize when it's taking place, and harness it to be more effective in your job. The book is filled with practical tips like using "miracle questions" (what if?) and "exception framing" to help shape people's understanding, to name just two. Perhaps this is part of "Sales 101" but as an HR leader, I found this exceptionally useful, especially since it was presented as a way to help people see alternatives, not how to manipulate people or win an argument. Powerful stuff to be sure.
It may not be for everyone, but this is a book I'll keep on my shelf for future reference.
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