Chapter 14: Smooth Running below Decks 231
Reframing – as if
The meaning of an interaction is dependent on the context in which it takes
place. So by changing the context of, or reframing, an experience, you can
change its meaning. For example, if someone criticises you for being too sub-
jective, you can thank the person because you know that this attribute means
that you’re good with people or great at coming up with ideas.This as if reframing is excellent for resolving conflict because it allows you to
pretend and therefore explore possibilities that you wouldn’t have thought of
otherwise. Acting as if you have the resources now, helps to shift any beliefs
that may be holding you back.When you’re in conflict, with yourself or another party, use the following ‘as
if’ frames to help you resolve the problem:✓ Time switch: Step six months or a year into the future, look back to now,
and ask yourself what you did to overcome the problem.
Alan was in a well-paid job in which he was relatively happy. However,
his boss had favourites in the department and Alan was getting side-
lined. Alan had wanted to work for a large multinational for some time
but didn’t believe that his skills were good enough. Alan used the
well-formed outcomes process (which we describe in Chapter 4 and
Appendix C) to design his dream job. He then tried the time switch by
stepping five years into the future and pretending he had his perfect job.
He realised he needed to work for one of his company’s competitors and
two years later found himself in his dream job, working for the multina-
tional of his choice.
✓ Person switch: Pretend that you’re someone you respect and ask your-
self what you’d do if you were able to swap bodies with the other person
for a day.Georgina admired Amanda Tapping (the actress who portrays Major
Sam Carter in the television series Stargate). Georgina pretended to swap
bodies with Amanda Tapping. She discovered that although her job sup-
porting computer systems paid the mortgage, it failed to satisfy her on
a deep level. As Amanda Tapping, Georgina discovered that she really
wanted to work in films, bringing stories from people’s imaginations to
life. Georgina realised that life in the film world can be risky, but took
the first step by enrolling for a part-time course in scriptwriting.
✓ Information switch: Suppose that you have all the information you need
to get a solution: what would that knowledge be and how would the cir-
cumstances change?