1.What is “framing”?

2.Why is “framing” important in determining negotiation results?

A frame is the subjective mechanism through which people evaluate and make sense out of situations,leading them to pursue or avoid subsequent actions (Bateson,1972;Goffman,1974).Framing helps explain “how bargainers conceive of ongoing sets of events in light of past experiences”.Framing and reframing “are tied to information processing,message patterns,linguistic cues,and socially constructed meanings” (Putnam and Holmer,1992,p.129).Framing is about focusing,shaping,and organizing the world around us.It is about making sense of a complex reality and defining it in terms that are meaningful to us.Frames are important in negotiation because disputes are often nebulous and open to different interpretations as a result of differences in people’s backgrounds,personal histories,prior experiences (Roth and Sheppard,1995).Understanding framing dynamics helps negotiators consciously elevate the framing process,thereby better controlling it.