A
Mandy Marney
Director,
Community
Development
from the director's desk
Accentuate the positive!
ccording to research regarding gain frame vs. loss frame, how we frame our messages do make a difference. We want to draw people to K-State Research and Extension, Wildcat District and help them recognize the genuine, positive difference we make in the lives of others. It is important for all of us – faculty, staff, board members, volunteers – to recognize the power of positive messaging.
As their names suggest, gain-frame messages promote the benefits of actions, while loss-frame messages emphasize the consequences of failing to take certain actions. Why is it so important to frame our messages in a positive manner? Alison Ledgerwood of UC Davis shares about this in a Tedx Talks, where she shared research that illustrated it is much easier to go from positive to negative vs. negative to positive. If we frame messages in a negative manner, it will take people twice as long to consider the positive aspects. We literally can get stuck in a negative mode. Ledgerwood noted that it does take work to stay in the positive, in order to share gain frame with others. We can do this by practicing positive messaging ourselves – by journaling about positive aspects of our day or by rehearsing good news and then sharing with others.
Therefore, when we consider our programs, or questions asked to us by the public, or are sharing information about any aspect of K-State Research and Extension, Wildcat District, let’s practice gain frame messaging. We need to describe the positive aspects first in order to help people stay focused on the good. We have so many great things going on within our district, let’s help make 2018 the best year yet!
Source: Alison Ledgerwood,
UC Davis, Tedx Talks