The Movable/Teachable Middle
In my last blog I mentioned dealing with the moveable/teachable middle. Hopefully, that term did not confuse you. This blog will discuss the issue of working with and influencing the movable/teachable middle.
A few weekends ago I attended an adoption training workshop sponsored jointly by the ACLU of Florida and GLAAD (The Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation). Dannie Tillman, Director of Field and Community Media at GLAAD led the training seminar and did a brilliant job (except it went over the allotted time and I am picky about those things). One of the training sections was called “Targeting Your Audience” and dealt with the moveable middle.
A background: Broad categories of audiences when discussing LGBT issues include the BASE, the OPPOSITION, and, the MOVEABLE MIDDLE. The base is those that are already supportive of our community or issues. We do not need to change their minds. The opposition is those who actively oppose our community and issues and are not likely to change their minds. The moveable middle are those that are neither entirely supportive or rigidly against our community or issues—in some cases our message can play a role in changing their minds about our community and issues. When we are trying to change hearts and minds about LGBT issues, your audience will often be the moveable middle.
On campus we face the same issues. At UCF there is our base—gays, lesbians, transgender, intersex, bisexual, questioning, and allies. These are the people who understand our community and issues and will support us in reaching out to the UCF community. There is also the opposition—and no matter what we do or what information we present, they will not change their minds. Then there are the majority of students, faculty and staff who fall into the moveable middle. So how do we get to the moveable middle and how do we get them to understand our message?
First, avoid confusing language. Acronyms, jargon and phrases that your audience won’t understand should be avoided. For instance, LGBTQI is common place in our discussions—the moveable middle will not understand the acronym. Many will get the “G” and the “L” but after that they are totally lost. Recently, I sent some information to a friend who wanted to know how to give information on homosexuality and the Bible to an affirming friend of hers. Neither lady is a lesbian nor did either lady have a clue what LGBT meant. I had to start at the beginning and learn to eliminate my jargon from our conversations. Once this was brought to my attention I began to notice how often we use language that others don’t fully understand. “Family” means nothing to our straight counterparts. Listen to see how often you utilize jargon in talking with others.
Second, stay away from incendiary or inflammatory language. Questioning someone’s beliefs just to make a point will help them shift from the moveable middle to the opposition. When framing speech to deal with the movable middle consider THEIR view of the world, not yours. Don’t push gay rights…discuss fairness and equality. Remember, we are all in this together. When discussing marriage for gays and lesbians and adoption for gays in Florida don’t spend time discussing sexual orientation, adoption rights and discrimination. Instead, talk more about strong and loving families, hurting children and families, and providing forever homes with loving parents.
Finally, find common ground. Work hard to connect with the moveable middle on their terms. Just because something feels good or makes sense to you and your friends doesn’t mean it will resonate with the middle group. Utilize the language of common values, beliefs, hopes, and dreams. We are all on this planet together and most people are fair and open minded. Many people simply need education on the issues we face each day.
As you deal with “straight” people each day consider your word choices and what you are really asking them to do. As you speak to classes and friends on campus, consider the common ground you have with them and present your convincing arguments in language they will understand. Present information about fairness and equality without telling them they are wrong in some areas of their thoughts and beliefs. And most importantly, concentrate on shifting the thoughts and opinions of the moveable/teachable middle and let the opposition fall by the wayside.
Thanks to Dannie Tillman, GLAAD and the ACLU for the wonderful training class and for much of the content above!
