Framing: Sentence Focus Shifting

Posted on June 9, 2008
Filed Under NLP, Techniques

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NLP FramingThis is a really simple example of NLP framing your words differently to strike different chords within the listener/reader. One sentence can be said/rewritten in 3 different ways the receiver of the sentence will in turn focus on various parts of the sentence.

Take the phrase  “It is sunny today but it will rain tomorrow”. Framing the sentence in this way puts the emphasis on the “it will rain tomorrow” making the mind perceive it as a negative comment.

If you replace “but” with “and”, the sentence reads “It is sunny today and it will rain tomorrow”. This time, the emphasis is split to both sides of the conjunction. By simply replacing one conjunction with the other, we keep the meaning of the sentence the same yet change the way the mind perceives it. Where before the sentence was negative, it is now neutral.

One last trick. Change the sentence to now read, “It is sunny outside even though it will rain tomorrow”. Once again, the sentence means the same as the previous two except this time the emphasis is on the pre-conjuction “it is sunny outside”, making it positive.

Recap:

It is sunny outside but it will rain tomorrow
It is sunny outside and it will rain tomorrow
It is sunny outside even though it will rain tomorrow

Source:

Sleight of Mouth by Robert Dilts

What Others Say

6 Responses to “Framing: Sentence Focus Shifting”

  1. Anthony Teegarden on June 9th, 2008 8:55 pm

    Fascinating way of framing language for people. I’m new to the site and am extremely excited to have found it.

  2. Oleg on June 9th, 2008 9:42 pm

    Glad you enjoyed the post :)

  3. Carlos on June 24th, 2008 8:45 pm

    I like that. It reminds me of sales training in the gym business. Help people to visualize the positive and making the negative seem small and not significant at all.

  4. Brain Blogging, Thirty-Seventh Edition | Brain Blogger on July 26th, 2008 6:25 pm

    […] writes Framing: Sentence Focus Shifting: This is a really simple example of NLP framing your words differently to strike different chords […]

  5. Shaheen Lakhan on July 26th, 2008 6:34 pm

    Thanks for submitting this post to our blog carnival. We just published the 37th edition of Brain Blogging and your article was featured!

    Thank you.

    Sincerely,
    Shaheen

  6. Jackie Anderson on August 14th, 2008 6:22 pm

    I’m new to this site just today. Great information about framing your sentences. I put into practice immediately. Thanks

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