1. The construction of frames
in interaction
December 1st, 2009
Michael Meyer

2. Share experiences
 Introduction
 Case 1: Project India
 Case 2: Plant disease protection
 Conclusion

3. Michael Meyer
• Communication consultant
• Management of change
• Industry, government
• Partner MvC
Maatschap voor
Communicatie
• 12 strategic consultants
• Facilitating processes
• For government, not for profit,
complex issues in our society
• Interaction is key in communication

4. Case 1
Framing high impact announcement
January – April 2008

5. Background
 De Ruiter Seeds:
– From family company to
international family of
businesses
– Professionalize delicate
processes
• Innovation
• Safe seeds
• Close to client
– Product leadership
strategy
– Assignment 2004 - 2007

6. Invitation secret meeting

7. A leader in the field of plant breeding,
agricultural biotechnology and genomics.
 Headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri
 CEO Hugh Grant
 More than 19,000 employees
 More than 500 locations worldwide in five primary regions –
Europe/Africa, Asia Pacific, India, Latin America and North
America
 $8.5 billion
in annual sales
 NYSE Symbol: MON
 www.monsanto.com

8. Monsanto Has Four Primary Crop Platforms
Large-Scale Crops Small Crops
CORN SOYBEANS COTTON VEGETABLE
Branded Licensed ASI Branded Licensed ASI Branded Licensed Branded ISG
DEKALB® ASGROW DELTA & SEMINIS®
ASGROW® DEKALB PINE LAND®®
HOLDEN’S/ HOLDEN’S/ COTTON INTERNATIONAL
CORN STATES CORN STATES STATES® SEED GROUP
AMERICAN SEEDS, AMERICAN SEEDS, INC.
INC.
Research and Development Platforms
Biotechnology Molecular and Conventional Breeding

9. Communication assignment
 Organize announcement well
– Key messages, Q&A, request for advice
– Take good care of the impact
• DRS promised to stay independent
• On delicate, long term processes
• Tsunami effect for competitors
• Monsanto listed company

10. Project India
 Codenames and decoys
 Crucial role communication
 Geared up some extra power
• Cesar Moerman, key messages trainer/ journalist
• Ferdinand Helman, international pr consultant
• My own staff

11. Step 1: Perception news
 Interviews consultants
involved
 Interviews of the early
informed few
 How do you expect the perception to be?
 What issues do you expect?
 Which stakeholders to address? Change
perspective.
 What appointments to make?

12. Step 2: Frame the key messages
 Key messages for:
– Announcement
– Q&A’s
– Request for Advice
 Line of speech (with board of directors)
 Editing
 Training & reframing

13. Step 2a: Line of Speech
 One day session
 Talking
 Asking from different perspectives

14. Step 2b: Editing
 Transcripts recordings
 Make it clear
 Right sequence
 Reality check
 Relevancy check
 Keep it short

15. Step 2c: Training & reframing
 8 sessions, great ‘pull’
effect
 Training in order to
– Test and reframe
messages
– Elaborate Q&A’s
– Comfort stakeholders

16. Step 3: Organize messaging


17. Step 4: Follow up
 Continuation communication
involvement in transition process
– Frame key messages, Q&A’s
– Listen actively and solve issues in framing
process


18. Plant disease protection

19. Plant disease protection
 Plant diseases increasing risk
agricultural economy
 Low risk – low commitment issue
 Strategy is to frame key messages on a
high economic and or supply chain level
(like tomato seeds to retail)

20. Way of working
 Step 1: analysis
 Step 2: framing
– Step 2a: high level
ambition framing
– Step 2b: editing, fine
tuning
– Step 2c: reframing &
planning communication

21. Conclusions

22. Conclusions
 Communication role can be key, if:
– Seen as key
– Done right
 Interactive framing solves the issues at
stake
– Involve the right people
 Communication with interactively
framed messages = simple to do