Aristotle was an early philosopher who advised the importance of naming phenomena. When people in communities speak about their social environment they often identify struggles they encounter in their lives. Some talk about worries with schools and other public institutions, others talk about crime, the environment, care of seniors, health for all citizens, jobs, and many other matters. What is evident is that it is demanding for people collectively to “name” a problem because of different values and perspectives. What the shared problem actually may be is hard to state in a way that captures it accurately and fully. The work required to do this in a community is called “naming a problem.”

Once there is wide acceptance that a problem has been accurately named, the next step is called framing the issue. Framing is an intentional process to capture at least three of the major approaches people could take toward solving the problem. These approaches must capture the rationale of supporters and opposition, consequences, and possible actions. They should illuminate different lenses, experiences, and voices in considering the problem.

When community issues are carefully named and framed, the public is provided with a means to weigh choices and decisions in order to more thoroughly consider community challenges. The approaches that result are not regarded as the only possibilities, but they are a viable starting point for the public to consider what its citizens value and to suggest ways to go forward. The naming and framing work in a community must be transparent, inclusive, and democratic. Often community groups will begin with a sense that they have named a problem. They will work on the framing, and in the framing discover that the problem must be renamed. Although a demanding process, this is ultimately beneficial to the community accurately naming the problem and aligning approaches to address it that are founded in a collaborative and open process.

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