Use Your Conversations to Support Change

Have you ever noticed how some conversations seem to drain the energy from the room while others light it up? The difference often comes down to how we begin. That’s the power of framing. A positive frame is like tuning an instrument before the music begins—it doesn’t change the notes, but it transforms the sound. When we approach dialogue with curiosity and possibility rather than complaint or blame, we shift from a catastrophic cacophony to a concerto of connection. Conversations become less about problems to solve and more about futures to create.

This week, the Monday Kickstarters team explored this idea by creating a positive frame around a real workplace challenge: freezing in the face of rapid change and uncertainty.

Positive Frame

Name it: The team freezes when unclear policies or rapid change occur.
Flip it: The team does not freeze.
Frame it: Grounded in vulnerability together, the team is energized and can align with the changes.

From there, the group developed generative questions—curious, open-ended invitations designed to move the conversation toward the desired frame.

Generative Questions

• What does energized look like?
• What values help ground us in this team?
• Imagine it’s a year from now and an article is being written about how our team adapts to change. What would the headline say?
• Where do we see aspects of alignment in action already?
• What do we need to put aside to move forward?
• What personal resistance do we have to the change?
• If we had unlimited resources to design a team-building activity to encourage high energy and alignment around change, what activity would we design?
• When have we been vulnerable in the past and positive change ensued?
• What would have to happen for us to engage together with energy and excitement around a change?
• If we were living our team values in executing change, what would that look like?
• What are our strengths and how can they help us move forward?

Cool Tip: Before your next important conversation, pause and ask yourself: “What do I want more of from this exchange?”—understanding, ideas, solutions, connection? Starting with that intention tune your mindset to possibility, setting the stage for a conversation truly worth having

 Shared by Kelly Stewart

Photo by Ria Nurul Kamariah https://unsplash.com/photos/a-violin-sitting-on-top-of-a-white-chair-J3saetBXWBQ