Simple Frameworks, Major Impact:
Narrative Design and the Power of Word Choice in Communicating Business Ethos.
A study on Elite DNA.
Word choice—particularly in introductions—sets the tone for what your client can expect from you.
It create connections, influences perception, and provides insight into the dynamics of relationships, with the brain mapping referent words with feelings and associations in as little as a few milliseconds.
Consider the word “elite” and the imagery or feelings it evokes.
Instinctually, one may be flooded with raw feelings of separation, inferiority, and fear. Utilizing the Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy model, we may infer that wounded parts are activated, perhaps returning to the feeling of being bullied, of the seemingly successful individuals they feel they don’t live up to, or the housing certainty that’s just out of reach.
Next, we look at the whole: “Elite DNA.”
With this, the imagery becomes more inflammatory, potentially connecting to the story of one’s immigrant parents, of occupation, of Jim Crow practices in the American South. This is not a leap or stretch—this is the reality of neural processing.
One might mistake a firm with such a name to be a groundbreaking diagnostics or genetic testing lab, not what it actually is: a behavioural health practice.
What went wrong?
The wording they believed would set them above the competition is instead driving potential clients away.
The impact:
not only has this business lost a potential client, but the ripple effect of benefit to the community surrounding that client is stripped, either delaying change or leaving it unrealized entirely.
How to recover:
Connect to the “who.” Treating individuals in crisis, experiencing feelings of hurt, fear, or trepidation, with dignity.
Reflect on the potential search queries that led them to you:
“sliding scale psychiatry near me,”
“affordable psychiatrist,”
“gender-affirming therapy,”
“inclusive therapist.”
Consider the possible webs of feelings and association spurred from just the name of this firm. “Elite DNA.” Many will be familiar with the adage "you attract more bees with honey than vinegar." Does this feel acidic or sweet?
The founders were horrified by the unintended harm these findings illuminated. The firm’s branding was divorced from their mission’s ethos, leaving them to pitch their value from a deficit.
Next steps were clear: reflect on the driving force and ethos of the brand. Ask, "who do we want to be" in addition to "what can we accomplish."
This is the value in narrative design: simple frameworks, major impact.