3 Strategies for Framing a Meeting

I’m a firm believer for setting an intent before I take on anything. It always builds my confidence and, usually, leads to a favored outcome. This article gave me WAY more to think about and include.

By Gwyn Gilliss | Posted Feb. 26, 2013, 5 p.m.

What is framing? It’s controlling any confrontation – meeting, interview, audition – with the attitude you choose to run with. A frame is the way your brain mentally packages your power, authority, strength, information, and social status. In any meeting for any reason between two or more people, one person grabs the power.

Guys like Oren Klaff pitch multi-million and billion dollar projects like airports and mega-real estate deals all the time. He’s a master at it. And he wins. A lot. Oren is brilliant. He has a book out called “Pitch Anything,” which gives business guys/gals tips on presentation. The key word here is “Framing,” when making any connection or pitching any subject. The tips are amazing and can definitely be used by actors.

As an actor, you pitch yourself all the time for a starring role on Broadway, in a primetime TV series, a network commercial or a feature film, many with multi-million dollar budgets. Same thing. So, when you frame, you set up the tone of the pitch and grab the power. It definitely takes confidence and courage to pull it off.

For example:

1. Are you Oliver Twist in the Charles Dickens novel, a small person walking carefully, slowly with fear and trepidation towards the head master and asking timidly, “Please sir, may I have some more? That’s a LOSING Frame.

Or are you:

2. Tom Cruise in “Top Gun” asking Kellie McGillis for a date in a fun, sexy, compelling way by singing to her in a bar? That’s a WINNING Frame.

How you frame your interview determines whether you get a booking for a major role, a callback from a casting director, an offer of representation from an agent, or nothing.

So, how do you frame?

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