In order to change people’s mind on an issue, you have to change their perception of this issue. Your goal is to frame the issue so it’s about something the majority of people agree with and care about.This normally means appealing to their deepest values.
The Movement Advancement Project is an independent think tank that provides rigorous research, insight and analysis that help speed equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people.
MAP has developed a series of fascinating resources on how to create effective messaging. A must read for any campaigner.
Among those resources, one report focuses on how to frame effective messages, which is of special importance. Again, every campaigner should take the time to read it. We have nevertheless compiled a summary for those who want to have a glimpse of the content first:
“Ideas, and how they’re expressed, are at the center of all political conflict. In political battles, each side puts forward different but equally plausible ideas of what’s happening and what needs to happen.They try to present their ideas in a way that makes people care about them.They strategically pick the data, facts and information that best persuade people to see a situation their way.
Whether you realize it or not, when you talk about an issue, people interpret whatever you say in the context of their existing worldviews. People aren’t blank slates, and they won’t ponder your carefully laid-out facts in a vacuum. Instead, they use mental shortcuts to make sense of the world.They slot new information into larger mental constructs that they already know to be “true.”
The way this works is simple. We all rely on a set of internalized beliefs and values or frameworks, to interpret and give meaning to unfolding events.
We absorb new information by mentally fitting it into our existing belief systems.This allows us to process information quickly and get on with our lives. Note that we almost always fit the information into our belief systems, as opposed to changing our belief systems to fit the information.
Often we’re unaware of our patterns of reasoning. None of us can see or hear the frameworks that determine our core values, underlying principles, and moral worldview. They’re part of what cognitive scientists call the cognitive unconscious—structures in our brains that we can’t consciously access, but that affect the way we reason.
We make our biggest communications mistake when we only talk to our supporters and forget to talk to the people we need to move to our side.The art of framing is the art of defining an issue to get the broadest possible public support. We do this by tying frames as broadly as possible to people’s existing belief systems and worldviews.
[box] So how do you build a frame that takes opposing worldviews into account?
You appeal to common values.
Good frames will help people see the issue in new and compelling ways. For example, gun control may be about (1) gun safety (this country should care about reducing violence and gun deaths), or it may be about (2) the right to bear arms (this country is based on personal and constitutional freedoms)”
The report further details how frames should be differentiated between deep frames, issue-defining frames, and surface messages:
“In summary, to change how people think, we need to take into account their existing belief systems and connect with those beliefs. First, we use deep frames to increase public support for our issues. Once the public is engaged and supportive, they’ll be more open to hearing about issues (issue-defining frames) and specific policies (surface messages).”
[box type=”bio”] The single most important concept in this is probably that we’re attempting to plug into existing belief systems, not rewire them.Trying to dismantle one worldview and replace it with another is far more difficult than reframing the issue so it fits within someone’s existing worldview.
The Story-based Strategy website also provides a useful definition of what a frame is:
“A frame is the over arching perspective or larger story that shapes the understanding of a message or action. Our frames invoke our story: who we are, what we want, and what values we share. You can think of framing literally as the edges of the television screen or the rims of the eyeglasses that define what and who is in the story and how they are presented. What is left out of the frame is as important as what you choose to put inside the frame. Effectively framing the action means that the change agents set the terms of the debate, and shift who has power in the story (i.e. the protagonists of the new story become the impacted constituencies who are mobilizing for change.”
