participatory communication strategy design

TABLE OF CONTENTSA About the Participatory Communication Strategy Design Handbook 1 B.1 The Need for Proper Problem Identification and Analysis: A Revisit 2 CHAPTER 1: THE FOUNDATION OF

the Communication for Development Group

Extension, Education and Communication ServiceSustainable Development Department

FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS

Rome, 2004

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ISBN 92-5-105252-2

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Copyright 2004

© SADC Centre of Communication for Development, Harare and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Second Edition, Rome, 2004

Compiled by: Paolo Mefalopulos and Chris Kamlongera

Editing: Chris Kamlongera, Jones Kaumba & Luca Toronga

Photographs: SADC Centre of Communication for Development

Available from:

FAO

Communication for Development Group

Extension, Education and Communication Service

Research, Extension and Training Division

Viale delle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy

E-mail: SDRE@fao.org

www.fao.org

and

SADC Centre of Communication for Development

43 Robson Manyika Avenue

6th Floor, Merchant House

TABLE OF CONTENTS

A About the Participatory Communication Strategy Design Handbook 1

B.1 The Need for Proper Problem Identification and Analysis: A Revisit 2

CHAPTER 1: THE FOUNDATION OF COMMUNICATION STRATEGY DESIGN 7

1.1.1 Communication Strategy Design: Purpose and Rationale 81.1.2 A Map of the Process of Communication Strategy Design 11

1.2 Transforming Field Findings into Useful Accounts 12

1.2.1 Using Field Findings to Identify and Analyse Focal Problems 13

1.3.1 Using the Priority Interaction Groups Profiles 18

1.3.3 Identifying Rough Core Content and Themes to be Developed 21

1.4 Selecting Communication Modes and Approaches:

Participatory Discussion Themes/Message Design 22

1.4.2 Frequently Used Communication Approaches 24

CHAPTER 2: PARTICIPATORY DESIGN OF MESSAGESAND DISCUSSION THEMES 29

2.1 Creating Basic Messages and Discussion Themes: An Overview 30 2.2 Developing the Creative Strategy or Copy Platform 31

The Process of Creative Design: Message Presentation Formats 36

The Process of Creative Design: The Creative Element 41

2.3 Preliminary Monitoring of Message and Discussion Themes’ Effectiveness 46

CHAPTER 3: COMMUNICATION MATERIALS AND MEDIA ISSUES 49

3.2 Using Print Materials in Communication for Development 58

3.2.6 Budgeting for the Production of Print Materials 663.2.7 Pre-Testing Print Materials: Field-testing to Ensure Effectiveness 69

3.4 Using Popular Theatre in Communication for Development 76

3.5 Communication and Creativity: Combining Contents, Media Characteristics

3.6 Field Staff Training on How to Effectively Use Communication Materials 83

3.7 Summary of the Basic Steps in the Production Process 86

CHAPTER 4: MANAGING THE PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF THE

COMMUNICATION PROGRAMME 89

4.1 Using SAF to Organise your Data into an Effective Work Plan 90

4.1.4 Organising all Elements into a Consistent Work Plan 92

4.2.4 External Factors 96

4.3.3 Qualitative Evaluation: the Participatory Impact Assessment 1004.3.4 Finalising the Overall Evaluation of the Project’s Impact 100

4.4.1 Organisation and Management of the Entire Planning

4.4.2 How to Report and Present the Communication Proposal 102

The authors would like to acknowledge their immense gratitude to the people in the rural areas ofEthiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Sudan, Swaziland, United Republic ofTanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe, who have participated in the field implementation ofthe communication strategies described in this handbook This publication would not have beenaccomplished without their participation and encouragement In addition, the authors would like

to thank all the rural development workers, extension staff, health educators, media producers andtrainers who have participated in the Action Programme for Communication Skills Development ofthe Southern African Development Community (SADC) Centre of Communication for Developmentwhich has inspired this work Many people contributed to the course work on which this handbook

is based The authors have drawn on their collective expertise but wish to particularly acknowledgethe significant role played by Chike Anyaegbunam in the preparation of this publication and wish

to thank, Gemma Luzuka, Jones Kaumba, Titus Moetsabi, Gary Coldevin, Peter D’Huys and LindaManasa In the same vein, the handbook has drawn on many written sources both published andunpublished These are listed in the bibliography and the authors take this opportunity to thank thewriters

The authors extend a special thank you to the following people who have greatly contributed tospecific sections of this Handbook; Joel Chikware and Simon Willby, who contributed in the writing

of the section on print material, Osvaldo Lingua, contributing in the planning sections, EddingtonMhonda, for the section on radio and Jonathan Villet, for his contribution and in the refinement ofthe communication strategy Also thank you to Luca Toronga who contributed in the original designand graphics of the handbook In addition, the authors wish to thank all the staff members of theSADC Centre of Communication for Development for their constant support during the wholeproject, and they acknowledge the technical guidance provided by the Communication forDevelopment Group in FAO Extension, Education and Communication Service in the implementation

of the SADC Centre of Communication for Development and the preparation of this handbook Aspecial thank you to Mario Acunzo, Communication for Development Officer at FAO who tookcare of this second edition

Finally, the SADC Centre of Communication for Development and FAO acknowledge the valuablecontribution provided by the Government of Italy (Directorate General for Development Cooperation),their generous support is appreciated

SUGGESTIONS FOR USING

THIS HANDBOOK

Participatory Communication Strategy Design (PCSD) is normally conducted by a team of facilitatorssuch as extension staff, field workers, communication and media experts in radio, video productionand graphic designers Development workers and communication specialists can use the handbook

in two ways First as a reference guide as they develop their Communication Strategy in the fieldand second as training guide as they prepare others to develop Communication Strategies Forthose who have not been trained in PCSD, it is advisable to attend a training workshop in whichthe principles and procedures of the activity can be learnt and practised before applying them to acommunity group

This handbook is very much a working document and feedback would not only be welcome but

is positively encouraged Please send comments to:

The Communication for Development Group, Sustainable Development Department, FAO, Vialedelle Terme di Caracalla, 00100 Rome, Italy e-mail: SDRE@fao.org - www.fao.org

The Director, SADC Centre of Communication for Development, 6th Floor, Merchant House, 43Robson Manyika Avenue P.O Box 4046, Harare, Zimbabwe E-mail: comdev@fanr-sadc.co.zwPhone: (263 - 4) 722723, 722734, 726821/5/6/

Fax: (263 - 4) 722713

A About the Participatory Communication Strategy Design Handbook

B Objectives of the Handbook

B.1 The Need for Proper Problem Identification and Analysis: A Revisit

This Handbook has been prepared as a training and field guide for designing, implementing andmanaging communication strategies for development purposes based on the results of fieldParticipatory Rural Communication Appraisal (PRCA) The book is a follow up to ParticipatoryRural Communication Appraisal: Starting with the People As a logical continuation of theintervention initiated through PRCA, the methodology described in the present handbook outlinesways of involving people in the decision-making processes that may lead to effective communicationplanning and action to improve their livelihood The handbook documents the process of planning

a communication strategy in a participatory manner, i.e., with the people, in order to addresspractical problems and needs as identified and defined by them

While the handbook has been prepared primarily as an instructional and reference material to beused during Action Programme workshops for Communication Skills Development, it can still beused as a guide for participatory communication strategy design work in general

The handbook focuses on the process of communication strategy design It also looks at messageand discussion theme creation as well as the principles of communication media, materials andactivity development and production Although it does not dwell on the technical aspects ofproduction, the handbook specifies the requirements for effective use of communication approaches,techniques, media, materials and methods among rural communities It presents a step by stepapproach to strategy design In this way the reader is able to see how they can plan, implement,supervise and monitor the whole process This is done in order to ensure that the reader is capable

of defining specifications for communication materials as well as activity development andproduction A reader thus armed can work fruitfully with media production specialists for qualitycontrol purposes

The strategy design process described in the handbook has been tested in training workshops Ithas also been applied with great success to various development projects dealing with agriculture,health, education, income generation, gender, water and sanitation, animal husbandry, and povertyalleviation

INTRODUCTION

A About the Participatory Communication Strategy Design Handbook

Development workers who read this handbook will learn how to transform and use field PRCAand AKAP baseline findings to design and implement communication strategies appropriate fortheir project situation They will learn how to design messages and discussion themes They willacquire skills for supervising the production and pre-testing of media materials In addition, theyshould be able to set up a management system for training field staff, monitoring and documentingthe implementation of the strategy Finally, they will acquire skills for carrying out both qualitativeand quantitative communication programme impact assessment and evaluation during andimmediately following the termination of the implementation process.

Specifically, at the end of this handbook, the reader, with involvement of the community, will beable to:

• transform field PRCA and AKAP baseline survey results into useful accounts for

communication strategy design;

• utilise research results to refine and prioritise identified issues, problems, needs,

opportunities and solutions in order to form clear and realistic communication

objectives;

• review the characteristics of selected priority Interaction Groups for the design of

messages, discussion themes, and communication media and activities;

• select and design effective and affordable communication approaches utilising

locally-available activities and influential sources of advice and information

appropriate in rural areas;

• create messages and discussion themes appropriate for the Interaction Groups;

• select media, and materials appropriate for the Interaction Groups;

• supervise the production and pre-testing of communication materials and activities;

• advise project field-staff who will assist in carrying out the implementation of thecommunication strategy on the appropriate utilisation of selected activities,

media materials and channels; and

• supervise and monitor the implementation of the communication strategy, and

evaluate its impact after completion

B.1 The Need for Proper Problem Identification and Analysis: A Revisit

The strategy design process presented in this Handbook is a problem-solving methodology thatderives its effectiveness from the involvement of all stakeholders in the need and problemidentification during field PRCA and from the proper analysis and clear understanding of theproject rationale and purpose To be relevant to the community and achieve the intended objectives,the strategy is, to a large extent, shaped by information gathered during the field PRCA and dataprovided by the project staff The data collected in the field is analysed

B Objectives of the Handbook

and transformed into usable accounts upon which the strategy is built This process provides therelevant information about community needs, opportunities, problems, solutions, and perceptionsand reveals the people’s communication networks and systems (i.e modern and traditional sources

of information, preferred channels, influential sources, etc.)

As pointed out in the PRCA Handbook, remember that after the identification of the main problem,

a problem tree is used to identify its major causes and effects This is followed by further analysis

of the major causes so as to select focal problems (i.e priority problems to be addressed bycommunication) The focal problems, also known as entry points for intervention, are then turnedinto communication objectives, which are the beacons for the design of an appropriate strategy

(see figure on this page) Note that as soon as the strategy design starts, the process shifts from a

problem-analysis to a problem-solving mode

The communication strategy is designed to achieve the set communication objectives In order todetermine the relevance of these objectives, consider a number of factors such as informationfrom secondary sources, project objectives, community needs, opportunities, problems, possiblesolutions (NOPS), the people’s culture and perceptions of the issues

Figure 1

The outside border of the figure symbolises the project boundaries within which the strategy has to be designed.

The profile or characteristics of the Interaction Groups, their preferred sources of information andsystems of communication should also be taken into consideration while defining the objectives toguide the designing of the strategy.

To ensure that the strategy is relevant and effective, it should be designed with the community inorder to take into account their priorities and their aspirations This approach reduces the possibility

of using inappropriate communication approaches, idioms, media, channels or materials As thestrategy is being designed with the people, bear in mind that change is not necessarily synonymouswith improvement For instance, the “successful” implementation of a communication strategythat aims to change the state of awareness, the level of knowledge, attitudes, practices or eventhe people’s perception of a situation, may initiate a chain reaction resulting in major undesiredchanges in the overall way of life of a community The story in Box 1 on the opposite page serves

as a good warning

Box 1

How a strategy with good intentions ruined a community.

The main and only significant economic resource of a small rural village was the production

of hand-made carpets by the men of the community The women performed the domestic chores while the men earned income As the distinctive features of these carpets were relatively famous in the area, the villagers could afford a decent living according to the rural standards of their country Things started to change when an international non- governmental organisation (NGO) identified this village as a possible target for their poverty alleviation programme.

Since the programme of this international NGO was focussed on gender issues, income generation for women was readily accepted as a project idea after a brief assessment After a feasibility study, the NGO identified mechanised carpet production by women as the income-generating project The NGO quickly provided the materials for a small industrial production plant and trained the women of the village to produce the famous hand-made carpets.

What happened next was inevitable Women and men in the village began to compete for the limited carpet market Women, with their machinery and training, were able to produce a higher number of carpets and therefore won the carpet war.

The results of this well-intentioned strategy are briefly outlined below:

• men stopped weaving carpets since they could not compete against the women and their new technology The men began to spend most of their time and the money earned by their wives drinking;

• women, because they are now working in the new carpet factory, could not attend to their domestic chores as they used to with the result that many aspects of the village life started to deteriorate (e.g availability of drinking water, traditionally fetched by women began to decrease, cooking, minding of the babies, etc began to suffer);

• soon, as the quantity of manufactured carpets increased, the market became saturated with them, prices of carpets started to go down and as a consequence income began

to decline rapidly in the village.

• on a social level, family bonds became weaker as men got drunk

more often, felt useless and frustrated and frequently turned violent on their wives Women, on the other hand, were working more and more to provide the basic subsistence income without being able to perform their usual daily tasks Children were becoming increasingly neglected as carpet manufacturing took up most of the women’s time and men refused to take up roles traditionally in the domain of women.

The story in Box 1 illustrates one of the many situations in which the noble intentions of adevelopment project have left the so-called beneficiaries worse-off than before This is becausecommunities are complex social systems with numerous inter linked units, with the result that anychange in one unit could have unforeseen and undesirable consequences on other units For thisreason, it is crucial that before any strategy is designed and implemented special effort should bemade, with the community, to forecast its possible positive and negative implications Any strategyintended to effect change in a community should be discussed with, understood and agreed upon

by the community, since the primary decision-makers about what and how to change are the verypeople who are going to be affected by the change

Catastrophes, such as the one in the example above, are not limited to strategies that are designed

on the basis of poorly analysed problems, needs and opportunities only Similar calamities are alsofrequently encountered when strategies for solving communication-related problems are designedwithout the full involvement of the people Remember the story of the malaria prevention campaignwhere villagers would not follow the actions suggested in one of the posters Villagers thoughtthey had nothing to be worried about because according to them, in their village there were noanimals (i.e mosquitoes) as huge as the one shown in the poster

To illustrate the basis and the process upon which a communication strategy is developed.

At the end of the chapter you should be able to:

1 Understand the basic concept of communication strategy design;

2 Transform field findings into useful accounts in order to design a

communication strategy; and

3 Plan the communication intervention of your strategy

THE FOUNDATION OF COMMUNICATION

STRATEGY DESIGN

Objective

1.1 Communication Strategy Design: A Definition

1.1.1 Communication Strategy Design: Purpose and Rationale

1.1.2 A Map of the Process of Communication Strategy Design

1.2 Transforming Field Findings into Useful Accounts

1.2.1 Using Field Findings to Identify and Analyse Focal Problems

1.2.2 Focussing on Communication Related Problems

1.2.3 From Priority Problems to Creative Solutions

1.2.4 Expected Change and Criteria to Measure It

1.3 Putting Together the Communication Strategy

1.3.1 Using the Priority Interaction Groups Profiles

1.3.2 Setting SMART Communication Objectives

1.3.3 Identifying Rough Core Content and Themes to be Developed

1.4 Selecting Communication Modes and Approaches: The Communication

Intervention

1.4.1 Main Communication Modes

1.4.2 Frequently Used Communication Approaches

1.1 Communication Strategy Design: A Definition

A strategy can be defined as:

A systematic, well-planned series of actions, combining different methods, techniques and tools,

to achieve an intended change or objective utilising the available resources within a specific timeframe

Similarly a communication strategy is a well-planned series of actions aimed at achieving certain objectives through the use of communication methods, techniques and approaches From this definition it can be inferred that before you even start thinking about the

communication strategy you need to have in mind clear objectives These objectives will assistyou to determine how to go about solving the problem Objectives are the basis of your strategy.Once the objectives are set, you need to assess the available resources to you in order to refineyour communication strategy This is a strategy that should be:

• consistent with the field findings and the project framework;

• feasible (in relation to the resources available and the timeframe);

• effective (makes the best use of the available resources in order to achieve theset objectives)

The figure on the next page illustrates in brief the basic steps in the process of communication

strategy design In unit 3 of this section you will be presented with a more detailed Map of thevarious steps of the sequence of the communication strategy design Remember that each step

of the process needs to be done with the full involvement of the community

1.1.1 Communication Strategy Design: Purpose and Rationale

The purpose of designing a communication strategy is to address and solve problems at thegrassroots level utilising PRCA findings, communication methods, techniques and media Thisshould be done with the people, not just for the people

After field work you review your findings You compare your project perceptions and assessmentwith the community perceptions and assessment This should lead to a new view, or at least adifferent view, of the main problems and their causes, which should always be within theboundaries of your project scope and objectives At times this can be a sensitive issue, eitherbecause the community has a different perception which is imposing solutions on the community.Whatever the case, you might find yourself in the difficult position of having to choose betweenthe views of the people (who should always be your priority concern), and those of management(who are the ones affecting your professional life) Depending on the situation you are in andyour past experience, use your best judgement to reconcile the two positions

Figure 2

A brief illustration of the basic steps in the process of

communication strategy design.

The critical factor that is going to shape your strategy, is the analysis of the new view of theproblem You should draw a new problem tree Discuss it Preferably, do this while still in thefield The identification of the most relevant factors, causing the main problem, become of vitalimportance for the development of an effective strategy These factors are referred to as “focalproblems” The identified focal problems should then be subjected to a specific cause-effectanalysis in order to identify and assess areas of possible communication intervention The sequenceabove illustrates the basis of, and the rationale for, the communication strategy design It alsohighlights the importance of the linkage between the field research and the subsequent strategicplanning.

Before going into the actual design of the communication strategy you should review the rationaleguiding this process By now you are familiar with most of the Communication for Developmentterminology used in these training packages You know that when going to the field, the firstthing you should learn and investigate are people’s NOPS (Needs, Opportunities, Problems andSolutions) Even if you may have to restrict your field of action only to aspects related to the on-going project framework, it is very important that you have a comprehensive picture of theoverall situation from the community’s point of view Community NOPS, baseline results and theproblem analysis will assist you in determining the root-problems, better known as focal problems,causing the negative situation From there the communication strategy will take shape

Figure 3

A group of women investigating NOPS.

Once the focal problems have been identified and analysed, the next step is to address the issue

of possible solutions In order to do this you should determine objectives that are related tosolving the problem on hand Such objectives must be SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, ATTAINABLE,REALISTIC and TIME BOUND (SMART)

The next step is to combine and review all of the available information and field findings todecide which approaches, messages, media methods and techniques should be used to achieve

the objectives A Situation Analysis Framework (SAF) (see Figure 2 on page 9 and Box 2 on this page) will assist you in organising all these factors into a workable plan that entails outputs,

activities and inputs and all of these within a specific time frame

1.1.2 A Map of the Process of Communication Strategy Design

The three different communication modes briefly presented above are by no means mutuallyexclusive You can have, for instance, an educational approach for a campaign aimed at reducingthe incidence of AIDS You may decide to use a combination of posters to raise awareness(hence message design mode), train nurses to provide advice to the youth coming to the clinic(hence instructional design mode) and encourage community mobilisation to give more visibility

to this issue (hence group promotion mode) This brief introduction to the process of communicationstrategy design serves to give you a preview of what this handbook will concentrate on It issupposed to focus your expectations while at the same time provide you with a sketch map ofwhere you are going All the work done during participatory rural communication appraisal(PRCA) and the baseline survey is now used to design the strategy If the findings and analysis ofthe field research are not sound and relevant it is impossible to draw up an effective strategy.That is why the correct identification, formulation and assessment of focal problems are vital forthe success of the overall strategy

To summarise, the box below reflects the basic sequence of the main steps you will go through inthe process of developing a communication strategy As the message design is by far the mostcommon mode to be used in communication campaigns, this sequence has been developedconsidering message design as the main approach If other approaches/modes will be used, theywill be added following a similar sequence

Box 2

Basic Sequence of Communication Strategy Design (in Discussion Themes/Message Design Mode).

1 Review the Project Framework (secondary data review, on-going project

rationale and purpose, main problem/s to be addressed);

2 Carry out the Participatory Research in the Field (PRCA + Baseline);

3 Analyse the Field Research Findings and Identify the Focal Problems;

4 Identify and Draw the Profiles of Priority Interaction Groups;

5 Define SMART Communication Objectives and Solutions (how to);

6 State the Rough Content of the Issues Related to the Focal Problems

and SMART Objectives;

7 Select the Design Mode (for the purpose of this handbook Discussion

Themes/Message Design);

8 Define the Communication Approaches and Methods;

9 Preliminary Identification of the Required Outputs, Activities and Inputs;

10 Develop the Creative Design of Discussion Themes and Messages;

11.Select the Media and Finalise the Message Design;

12.Revise and Define the Overall Communication Approaches, Outputs

(Instructional Design, Discussion Themes/Message Design, GroupMobilisation Activities Design);

13.Revise and Finalise the Activities Needed to Achieve the Intended

Outputs;

14.Revise and Finalise the Inputs Required to Carry out the Planned

Activities;

15.Assemble and Review the Wok plan for the Implementation Phase;

16.Develop the Communication Materials;

17.Carry out the Pre-testing and Subsequent Review of the Materials;

18.Supervise the Mass Production;

19.Training of Trainers on Relevant Issues and Materials;

20.Supervise the Implementation of Activities; and

21.Supervise the Monitoring and Evaluation

1.2 Transforming Field Findings into Useful Accounts

At the end of the PRCA in the field you will be facing a large, at times extra large, amount ofdata Your challenge is to organise and transform the data into something that can be used todesign an effective communication strategy

The process of communication strategy design starts in the field with collecting data, knowingthe community and exchanging information An effective strategy originates from these fieldfindings That is why it is important that during the field exercise you discuss and reflect upon thedaily findings with the community Analysing the data is an on-going process Nevertheless,once you are back from the field you should go through all the data in an exhaustive manner, so

as to review in depth the validity of your findings Ideally this should be done within the communitywith the community It is important to collect all information on the community from the communityitself in order to have their opinions and their perceptions clearly and properly represented.Comparing the qualitative data from the PRCA to that from the baseline survey assists in validatingthe findings You should also compare the original problem tree of the project with the new onederived from the field, reflecting the community point of view The two perceptions should becompared and analysed in order to confirm or redefine the main problems For each main problem

being defined you should closely assess and investigate the cause-effect implications, thusreviewing the problem tree or drawing a new one if needed The purpose of doing this is toidentify and analyse the focal causes (remember the 80/20 law in chapter 2 of the PRCAHandbook), which are at the root of the main problem.

After assessing the situation with the community, use the field findings, and the related analysis,

to define what you want to achieve As you do this also begin to clearly define; the interactiongroups you are going to address, the type of change that is expected and how you expect tomeasure that change Although these are still at an initial stage, you are advised to start dealingwith them at this point They will be refined more precisely later on Please bear in mind that thecommunication strategy design sequence presented in this handbook is only a guideline to assistyou in solving problems in a systematic manner You should see it as an outline that can bechanged around to fit individual thinking patterns and experiences What is important is to arrive

at a strategy that is consistent with the field findings and, effective in relation to the definedproblems To achieve this you need to transform the data from the field into usable information

1.2.1 Using Field Findings to Identify and Analyse Focal Problems

Identifying and prioritising root-problems, causing the main problem, is not always easy Chapter

2 of the PRCA Handbook provides a detailed explanation on how to carry out an effective effect analysis It is however important to note that once the focal problems (which as youremember are the major causes of the main problem) have been identified you should considertheir nature and prioritise them Before deciding which ones you will be focussing upon in designingyour strategy, you should consider how relevant they are and how communication can assist inachieving the solution

cause-You should use all of the data collected during the PRCA to assess the situation and then use thebaseline findings to verify, validate and further focus the PRCA findings Furthermore you shouldcompare PRCA findings with the data and perceptions of the project as reviewed before going tothe field Sometimes problems affecting the success of a project are a result of differences of

perceptions between project staff and the community (See the example in Figure 9/10, Chapter

3, of the PRCA Handbook) It is therefore important at this stage to identify and define precisely

the causes underlying the main problem These causes will then be considered as problems.After their selection (based on their importance and, if they can be tackled by communication)they will be the starting point upon which the strategy will be based

1.2.2 Focussing on Communication Related Problems

When assessing the situation in the field and investigating the factors responsible for the problemyou wish to solve, you may end up with a long list The first thing to do in such a situation, evenbefore you start to prioritise the problems, is to separate problems, is to separate problems thatcan be addressed by communication from those that cannot i.e.,

asking yourself which problems are communication-related or which ones are structural Thelatter can not be directly addressed through communication approaches This categorisation isdone to simplify the task of selecting appropriate issues that can be effectively addressed bycommunication Structural problems are those that can be addressed only by the availability offinance or materials e.g., funds for buying a vaccine, construction of roads, a certain number ofwater pumps, etc Communication cannot have a direct impact on these types of problems, asthey require materials or finances (even though communication approaches can assist in lobbyingfor funding) Communication related problems are those that deal with issues regarding people’sparticipation, perceptions, adoption of innovation and change of behaviour These kinds ofproblems are generally concerned with change in awareness, knowledge, attitudes and practices(AKAP levels) or with factors concerning participation.l

Of course structural problems, such as those regarding availability of funds can sometimes beaddressed by communication For instance, if a nutrition project finds out that there are noschools in an area, it could hypothetically involve the people in an advocacy approach to lobby forthe schools with the government, thus indirectly assisting in the search for funding, or directlycontacting potential donors This however may go outside the project boundaries of the nutritionproject, which could nevertheless report the problem to the relevant authorities or advise thecommunity on how to go about making a proposal for that issue

When looking at the whole cause-effect analysis of the main problem you should concentrate onidentifying communication entry points These are the root-causes responsible for the persistence

of the problem and they can be effectively addressed by communication One of the mostcommon and crucial communication entry points is the Windows of Perception, presented in thePRCA Handbook These represent the full perception of the project and the community withrespect to the main problem It is surprising how often these two perceptions cannot be just

different but even opposite to each other Johari’s widow below explains this.

If the project perceived the irrigation scheme as a means to improve food security, thus lifestandards, while the community feels they have been forced into something complex and difficult

to deal with, the result is that the irrigation scheme increases their insecurity and fears for making

a living Just the opposite of the original project perception! This is just one of the many exampleswhere difference of perceptions account for most of the problems Sometimes the difference

Table 1

Johari’s Window.

Open knowledge Their hidden knowledge

What we know and what What they know and what we

Our hidden knowledge Blindness

What we know and they do What we do not know and they

can be due o a simple misunderstanding, as in the case of a health project that was trying topromote the drinking of safe water In local language their slogan read something like “DrinkOnly Clean Water” Unfortunately by “clean” people in the community meant water taken fromwells and drunk as it was It was opaque thus clean By ‘clean’, the project meant water thatwas made safe through boiling However, since ordinarily ‘boiled’ water looks dirty, the communitythought it was not drinkable And with their campaign the project was actually reinforcing thispractice! Looking at Windows of Perception you will have to see if any of these differencesapply to your case and if so how to unify the two perceptions Remember in communication,perceptions can be as important, if not more, than reality What counts is not what it is, but whatpeople perceive it to be.

Selecting and investigating focal problems can be a difficult and challenging task To increasethe chances of success for your communication strategy you should make sure that the root-problems identified and selected can be effectively addressed through a communicationintervention and that they are the most significant ones Appropriate selection and prioritisation

of the focal problems can ensure the success and sustainability of the communication componentand consequently of the project as a whole The next step is to assess and transform the secondarydata available and the data collected in the field into information useful for designing thecommunication strategy

1.2.3 From Priority Problems to Creative Solutions

The assessment of the situation in the field and the cause-effect analysis of specific problemshave been discussed in the previous section At this point you should have already identified andclearly defined the relevant focal problems Now you should start thinking about possible solutionsfor addressing each focal problem This should not be very difficult as everybody is used to facesituations, small or big, requiring a problem solving attitude and thinking daily All that is neededhere is a fair dose of common sense

Every day you deal with decisions requiring some sort of analysis For instance, you have tofigure out what to give first priority in your daily tasks or to decide which approach to follow insearching for the car keys that always go missing when you are in a hurry The same process isapplied when looking for solutions to the focal problems identified For instance, if a focal problemleading to children’s malnutrition has been defined as inadequate knowledge of feeding practices

by the mothers, the solution must aim at increasing that knowledge How? This is part of theproblem-solving approach you must adopt Once you have defined the focal problems and possiblesolutions you can consider how to turn the problems into solutions, thus defining the communicationobjectives These objectives should provide direct solutions to the focal problems, which in turn,should assist in solving the main problem Even if it may sound nạve, remember to ask yourselfnot only what the problem is, but also whose problem it is You would be surprised to find howmany problems addressed by development projects are not perceived as such by the community

or the interested interaction groups

A practical ingenious solution.

Figure 4

A typical storage hut.

This storage hut was elevated from the ground through rocks in order to minimise crop damages due to natural pests (e.g mice) and early morning moisture.

Sometimes a solution can be reached as a result of some logical conclusions At other times to

arrive at a solution requires some innovative thinking (see figure 4 on the previous page) In

Chapter 2 you will discuss the importance of creativity in many of the phases of the communicationstrategy design process Remember that every person has creative potential, which is often used

in daily situations Thinking patterns of course, do not happen in a clear-cut sequential way.Every person has a different way of thinking Some people are more analytical, while others aremore intuitive Still others are more visual, etc The problem tree is actually a cause-effectanalysis adopting a sort of “clustering pattern” approach A central thought/problem is linked toits causes and effects at various levels and in different directions This is one of the ways in whichthe human mind operates The problem tree represents on paper what happens in a person’smind, thus helping us to visualise the process

Visualisation is another very effective way of dealing with situations and solving problems.Whenever you have a problem that does not seem to be solved by means of logical thought try

to visualise it with your mind’s eye Try to see it Do not to think about it Sometimes this methodgives surprising results With time and practice you will see how many problems and difficultsituations approached in this way can be solved While creativity maybe innate in human beings,

it can still be improved by experience Being creative will definitely enhance the effectiveness ofyour communication strategy Remember that creativity can come from you as well as from thecommunity, so learn to listen actively, i.e be ready to use people’s local wisdom

1.2.4 Expected Change and Criteria to Measure It

At this point, after you have analysed the focal problems, defined the communication objectivesand drawn the profiles of the Interaction Groups, you should start thinking about the type ofchange you expect to see, based on the focal problems, and to be achieved through thecommunication intervention What impact do you hope to have in order to get the intendedchange? You should specify how you expect the situation to be improved by achieving thecommunication objectives Next, you should indicate how you are going to measure the degree

of success, or failure, of the communication intervention Which criteria will you take into account

in order to define the impact of your intervention and the degree of change? Once you knowwhat you want to change you should define how you intend to measure the impact of youractivities

The reason for doing this is that you should be able to assess and evaluate the impact of theobjectives of, that is, the degree of change caused by the communication intervention

For instance, one of the communication objectives of a Nutrition Project may be to increaseknowledge regarding proper feeding practices by 25%, among mothers of under five children,

by the end of the year One criterion that you could use to assess the degree of success couldthen be the level of knowledge reached by the mothers of under five children Another criteria,which can be used to measure the end impact of the communication activities, will be the number

of malnourished children under 5 years Even if the ‘malnutrition’ problem cannot be solvedsolely by increasing the level of knowledge of the mothers, this can assist in reducing the problem

It is therefore important to start thinking of what you want to change and how you want tomeasure what has been achieved A more detailed account of indicators for monitoring andevaluation is provided in the chapter on Situation Analysis Framework in the PRCA Handbook

1.3 Putting Together the Communication Strategy

In the first section of this chapter you have had an overview of the communication strategydesign process At this point the situation in the community has already been assessed,communication objectives have been defined and the interaction groups have been identified.You are therefore ready to start designing the communication strategy in detail

1.3.1 Using the Priority Interaction Groups Profiles

Having completed the analysis of the situation you should also have selected and defined thepriority Interaction Groups for each specific focal problem It is very important that for eachInteraction Group you will confirm or draw a profile as described in the PRCA Handbook Themore detailed and comprehensive the profile, the more effective the design of messages anddiscussion themes is likely to be You might need to know, for instance, their educational level,their religion, at what time they listen to the radio, what colour they associate with mourning,what their level of literacy is, what their socio-economic status is, where and when they meet,what they talk about, who they consider to be an influential source of information, etc InteractionGroups are an active part of the problem solving strategy The more you know about them, theeasier it is going to be to work with them towards an effective solution Being familiar with thebackground and the way of thinking of the Interaction Groups will also facilitate creative thinking

at the time of communication materials design In the next chapter you will become familiar withthe principles of participatory message design and you will see how people in the communitiesprovide the necessary inputs and thus indicate the characteristics that messages should have inorder to be meaningful, relevant and above all effective

Which Interaction Groups need to be selected will be indicated by the focal problems you haveidentified as well as by the subsequent definition of the communication objectives How muchand how well they will need to be defined will also be indicated by the focal problems Afterhaving done a general profile you may see the need to probe deeper certain aspects of theinteraction group in areas perceived as relevant (e.g level of education, beliefs related to fallingsick, etc.) For instance, in the case of the Nutrition Project example one of the focal problemscould be the inadequate knowledge of feeding practises for children under five years of age.Naturally the Priority Interaction Group here will be the mothers of such children (thus you mightalso have other relevant interaction groups such as nurses, who might be in regular contact withthe mothers, or household heads) Among other things, the problem-solving approach will need

to look at ways of informing the mothers of children under five years of age about proper feedingpractices It is therefore vital to know something more, for instance, about their literacy level inorder to decide which approach, medium and treatment to adopt in the communication strategy

If the overall level of literacy is low, there will be no point in doing leaflets, or posters with words

Or if your profile of the Interaction Groups indicates that women are busy in the fields most of thedays, as it is often the case, there is no point in designing messages or discussion themes simplyurging women to dedicate more time to their children Allocating a significant amount of time totheir children may have other cultural and economical implications that in the long run may causeother serious problems Sometimes decisions such as these do not depend solely on the womenbut on the head of the household, who usually, are men This is why it is vital to discuss and

analyse problems and possible solutions with the people themselves, and to do this you need notonly be aware but also have a good understanding of their way of life A clear profile of thepeople you are working with may provide most of the inputs needed to assist you in the creativeprocess of message design.

1.3.2 Setting SMART Communication Objectives

During the course of field research and problem analysis you identify critical areas and definecommunication objectives Usually the latter are formulated in a rather generic manner such as

“Increase the awareness of the community on the importance of feeding practices” or “reducethe malnutrition rate of children under five” Even though objectives such as these provide adefinite direction towards a solution they are too vague to provide you with a clear indicationabout what you are supposed to achieve exactly That is why at this point you should make yourobjectives SMART That is, objectives should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic andTime-framed An example of a SMART objective can be “Raise the awareness of proper feedingpractises in the district among 70% of all women between the age of 16 and 40 by the end ofthe next year” Having SMART objectives makes it easier to clearly define what you are supposed

to achieve, hence facilitating the monitoring and evaluation process This also provides furthersupport in the definition of the expected outputs

Communication objectives directly address issues such as awareness, knowledge, attitude, practice,behaviour and participation Each of these represents a communication level, which needs to bedealt with separately If for instance your objective is to induce change in behaviour concerningpersonal hygiene practices, first you need to make the people concerned aware that there is aproblem with the previous behaviour You then make sure that the knowledge and the attitudenecessary for the change to take place are present It is only when all these prerequisites aremet that you can hope to achieve your communication objectives

In most instances change can be considered to be an innovation Hence it can be dealt with as

an adoption of innovation The Adoption Ladder process, highlighted in figure 5 on the right,can help you to understand better the sequence of such adoption and the various communicationlevels:

• Awareness of the problem: people must perceive there is a problem in the firstplace;

• Interest: after being aware they need to show an interest in the specificproblem;

• Knowledge/comprehension: in order to decide to go for change and adopt aninnovation, people need to be knowledgeable about it;

• Attitude: attitude is another factor determining people’s orientation in

accepting and adopting an innovation;

• Legitimisation: is the innovation in line with the norms and legal system of thecommunity? This aspect is related to the overall legislation and policy

currently in use However it can also be related to the cultural and socialacceptance of the innovation, and the fact of having to face strong peerpressure in order to adopt it; and

• Practice: before actually adopting and putting in action an innovation peopleneed to try it out in order to test its feasibility and effectiveness Furtheractions might be needed to ensure its sustainability.

This adoption ladder facilitates the identification of the communication entry points, which may

be concerned with raising the awareness or the knowledge of a certain issue, or changing attitudes

or encouraging the use of certain practices You can therefore select the most appropriatecommunication approaches according to the level targeted by your communication objectives

Figure 5

The Adoption Ladder process.

1.4 Selecting Communication Modes and Approaches: The Communication

Intervention

1.4 Selecting Communication Modes and Approaches: The

Communication Intervention

1.3.3 Identifying Rough Core Content and Themes to be Developed

No matter what communication modes and approaches you choose to use, you need to identifythe rough core content or themes that your communication strategy will deal with In order todefine this area, which sometimes is also referred to as the content platform, you need to look

at your SMART objectives In the previous example, the objective set, already defined the roughcontent, which is dealing with feeding practises At this point you only need to know that ‘feedingpractices’ is to be one content area you will address in your communication strategy Later onyou should get more information on the issue and see how to treat the relevant themes in aneffective way, so as to achieve the communication objective

Communication approaches are ways of using communication techniques, methods and media

to address specific issues in the most effective way Selecting communication modes and

approaches is a very crucial stage in Communication Strategy Design This is when thecommunication intervention starts Several important questions are asked at this stage:

• Which channels and media are going to be used?

• What information is going to be considered?

• Which materials are going to be produced?

It is very important to note that the way in which communication materials, techniques andmethods are used can have a great influence on the final results Communication modes andapproaches assist in determining which direction to focus the communication (e.g promote,educate, inform, etc.) in order to have the best results

1.4.1 Main Communication Modes

In the Action Programme workshops you will deal in detail with the Participatory Message DesignApproach, or Mode as it has been labelled in this Handbook This is due to the fact that inorganising a Campaign it is the Participatory Message Design Mode that is most frequently used.However, there are other possibilities In this Handbook we shall consider three maincommunication modes only Each one of these includes a certain number of communicationapproaches To simplify and clarify the issue we shall consider persuasion, advocacy, informationand promotion as part of the discussion themes/message design category, education and trainingfall under the instructional design category, while community mobilisation, group formation andnetworking/partnerships belong to the group mobilisation activities design category Eachcommunication mode reflects a particular kind of strategic design, and each of them contains anumber of approaches, which are by no means mutually exclusive

Depending on the approach selected, you will deal with one, or more, of the three broadcategories, or modes, aimed at developing a strategy for message design, instructional design orgroup mobilisation activities design As mentioned above, this handbook focuses on messagedesign (which includes discussion themes design) because it is the most frequently utilised andone that can be used in a large number of situations The basic features and requirements ofthe other two categories (i.e instructional design and group mobilisation) are nevertheless going

to be looked at briefly in order to provide a comprehensive picture of the full potential andpossibilities of the communication strategy Remember that up to the point of selectingcommunication approaches, the sequence of the process is the same for each of the threecategories presented above Only after having selected the communication approaches, willyou need to see into which mode you are required to operate This can be a combination of two

or all the three modes

You can use the communication mode most appropriate for your strategy or a combination ofmodes and approaches as long as you are aware that the steps of designing your strategy willdiffer depending on the overall approach, or communication mode, you select In this handbook

we mainly look at the Participatory Discussion Themes/Message Design, as this is the most widelyused in communication campaigns At the same time, we also look at two other communicationmodes, namely; Instructional Design and Group Mobilisation The former is particularly usefulfor providing knowledge and skills needed to use new techniques or adopt innovations Thelatter aims at forming and mobilising groups of people to be more effective in addressing aparticular issue

Participatory Discussion Themes/Message Design

In development, Participatory Discussion Themes and Message Design are concerned withidentifying critical topics, elaborating relevant information and passing certain contents, either

in a one-way manner or through a two-way dialogue mode, in order to address a situation whichneeds to be improved When developing messages and themes you should always keep inmind that the participatory element should be present as much as possible The message to bepassed on should be identified and dealt with, with the community or the selected group Ideallyyou should discuss with the community the content, but also the approaches, appeals, media andthe way to present them If that is not possible you have to make the best of the time you canspend with the community and then devote extra time and extra attention to the pre-testingphase The same applies for the discussion themes design This differs from the messagedesign in that its aim is not to pass a definite message but rather to create the basis for discussing

a critical issue Picture codes and cloth flipcharts are often used for this purpose As the termsuggests discussion themes design aims to develop communication materials designed todebate certain topics The aim here is to have the community open up and become aware ofcertain issues, i.e., exploring its pros and cons This can be a very effective way of dealing withissues which, if given as straightforward messages, might not be taken into account When thesame issues are presented and discussed openly with the community they usually acknowledgeand reflect upon many of the points in question Moreover being a two-way approach, discussionthemes and tools often offer useful insights to help you understand and work towards a solution

of the problem

In order to effectively understand and use the participatory discussion themes/message designmode, which you will explore in greater detail in the next chapter, you should review and gothrough the whole sequence First, you must assess the focal problems, then define thecommunication objectives, confirm and review the profile of the Priority Interaction Groups.Once this has been done you then select the communication approaches most suitable for yourstrategy If the identified communication approaches include information, advocacy, persuasion

or promotion, you need to go through the discussion themes/message design process You must

be familiar with ways of treating and packaging information that assists in bringing about desiredchange Messages are usually concerned with passing information and knowledge necessary forthe Interaction Groups to address and solve the problem Posters, brochures, radio, video,booklets can be used for the transmission of the intended message Messages, even whendesigned in a participatory way, remain a one-way communication instrument Discussionthemes on the other hand, are concerned more with bringing up issues to be openly discussedrather than providing definite answers or passing specific information They are particularlyeffective in issues dealing with raising awareness and highlighting attitudes Illustrated flipchartsand picture codes are some of the communication materials frequently used for this purpose.Analysis of the problems and the communication objectives provide relevant inputs into thecontent of messages Communication approaches indicate how these messages should bedeveloped After identifying the approaches you start working on the creative design ofmessages or discussion themes This is followed by selection of the media to be used based onconsiderations drawn from your field research (e.g which media are most popular in thatcommunity, which media appears to be more compatible, credible and effective for that particularculture, group, topic, etc.) Once you select the media and you know what you want to achieveand why, you may call in a specialist: a creative person to assist you in the finalisation of themessage design and in the technical aspects of material production After this the next stepswould be the implementation of the field activities and related monitoring and evaluation

Instructional Design

Communication strategy development should not be limited to the challenge of designingappropriate and effective messages Not all desired changes can be induced by messages Somesituations require a more interpersonal intervention The scope of the instructional design mode

is that of providing part of the community, or the selected Interaction Groups, with certain skills

or knowledge necessary to address a problem By using training or education approaches peoplehave the opportunity of becoming familiar with complex issues; of acquiring knowledge andskills useful for improving their situation Education and training are also effective approaches

in addressing changes of attitude

When you decide to adopt the training or educational approach you should use one of theapproaches included in the instructional design mode This requires the specifications of a set

of instructions aimed at successfully imparting a certain level of knowledge or skills Usually,development projects entail strong training components that in most cases mean training of fieldstaff That is training of trainers, i.e., extensionists or other field workers, to use discussion tools

or some other materials developed in the discussion themes/message design mode Another

use of the instructional design could be that of training some members of the community as part

of a campaign team to provide skills about a particular issue beneficial to everybody, e.g., how

to maintain the water pump None of the modes or approaches has to be used exclusively Onthe contrary, on many occasions you might find it necessary to adopt a combination of approachesand methods The Instructional mode requires that you design the learning instructions needed

to achieve the communication objectives in an effective way Once you have defined the neededspecifications you may decide on the need of any medium to be used and on how theinterpersonal approach should be carried out Finally you need to indicate the outputs expected(e.g 2 training workshops, 28 extensionists trained, etc.)

Group Mobilisation Activities Design

The third broad category that can be adopted in your communication strategy is GroupMobilisation It is a way of organising people in groups around specific issues and/or objectives.The purpose of the group mobilisation mode is that of strengthening the possibilities forsuccessful action, through the uniting of many people with different backgrounds but with similarobjectives It includes the following approaches: community mobilisation, partnerships/networking, and group formation All of these approaches try to organise the community, or part

of it, in order to address the main problem facing the community or group more effectively.Sometimes, for the same purpose, the community may decide to work towards a commonobjective with some outside entities, taken on board as partners Once one of the approaches inthis mode has been selected, it is important to make sure that everybody understands the purposeand benefits of such an effort The group size, rationale and purpose need to be carefullyassessed According to the situation, there might be a need to promote recruitment in the group,assist in the group formation for a specific purpose or lobbying for some partners in adevelopment initiative Whenever one of these approaches is adopted, the communicationstrategy must take into account and indicate the modalities and benefits of entering into the grouppromotion mode

1.4.2 Frequently Used Communication Approaches

The approaches presented in this handbook have been grouped into the three main categories:discussion themes/message design, instructional design and group mobilisation activities design.The rationale for this categorisation is the need to group together approaches that follow asimilar pattern during the development of the communication strategy There are also other

“communication approaches”, such as “social marketing” or “adoption of innovations” Theyall include the use of a number of specific communication approaches, which are basically, theones being presented here If you understand the rationale and the sequence of the process ofcommunication strategy design you should be able to adopt a similar approach for all the variouscommunication modes, even when they have not been specifically dealt with in this handbook.The various approaches are presented within the communication mode they have been grouped

in Naturally in a communication strategy a number of approaches, and even modes, can beused to achieve set objectives The first of the approaches to be presented here does not fall inany specific mode Rather, it falls in all of them since it is at the heart of every participatorycommunication approach

Dialogue cuts across all the other approaches It is the basis of the other approaches since it isthe main bonding factor upon which to build mutual trust and understanding It assists people toidentify, visualise and reflect on their problems, needs and capabilities, and to create a mutualunderstanding among the various groups in the community and between the people and theoutsiders Dialogue also helps to bring out the various perceptions on an issue It generatesviews as to the possible causes, solutions, and consequence of identified problems.

MESSAGE/DISCUSSION THEME DESIGN MODE

Information:

This is the treatment and the transmission of data meant to provide objective facts on specificissues It differs from other approaches such as promotion, persuasion or education in thetreatment of data which is transmitted “raw” without specific added value, such as making it moreinviting or appealing or having some instructional connotations to treat it as transfer of knowledge.Instances of information approaches are those posters or radio spots that just mention numbers,e.g Every year millions of people die of AIDS, do you know how to avoid being one of them?

Promotion:

This is informing to make people aware and familiar, or even accept ideas, concepts or behaviour

By promotion you try to create interest or a favourable impression of an idea or practice throughmotivation, image creation and/or positioning Often promotion implies calling people to action,entertainment, benefits, relevancy and packaging Depending on the situation it can imply eithertop down or horizontal communication

Advocacy:

This is seeking to generate support of decision-makers, both within and outside the community.Such an approach is usually adopted to create a conducive environment that may lead to a policythat is sensitive to the issues in question It can also be directed at NGOs, Ministries orinternational donors in order to start, or obtain funds to start development initiatives on criticalissues It aims at influencing the development policy, obtaining financial support and legitimisation

An advocacy approach can be used not only in a bottom-up mode but also in a horizontal fashion

in order to facilitate or set a favourable environment, for instance, from NGOs’ to policy makers

or from the latter to decision makers

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN MODE

Education:

This is to increase knowledge, comprehension and maybe change attitudes, usually through aformal learning environment Education approaches can be carried out at an interpersonalindividual level (teacher-student situations), at a group level (meetings, specific gatherings,schools, etc.) or at a mass level (publications, radio and television)

Training:

This is to impart or increase skills and give opportunity for trial The training approach is similar

to the education one, but it focuses on practical skills rather than theoretical knowledge That iswhy it usually implies an interpersonal learning environment in venues such as workshops ordemonstration sites Hopefully people will adopt or adapt the new idea after trial

GROUP MOBILISATION ACTIVITIES DESIGN MODE

Networking/Partnership:

These are attempts to have different groups or associations, within or from outside thecommunity, joining and working together to address, more effectively, specific issues orproblems Very often communities have problems that cut across different development sectors.This means that external facilitators can go into the community focusing on just a single sector,while a number of causes of the problem can be derived from other sectors Furthermore a singlegroup or association may not have all the resources for tackling a certain community problem,

so it may be necessary to network with other organisations for help Partnerships need to be builtwith organisations, both within and outside the community, to assist the community either in kind

or with funds Even when dealing with a problem involving a single sector it would still beadvantageous to have partnerships of different groups/associations joining together in order forthe intervention to carry more weight, thus facilitating the achievement of the common objective

Group Formation:

This consists of encouraging and facilitating the formation of groups of people, usually within thecommunity, having a specific set of tasks aimed at addressing a specific issue Groups can beformed to deal more effectively with a certain problem, to share labour required by a complexactivity, to provide moral support and legitimise social and technological change, to facilitate theduplication of certain knowledge or practices in the community Groups are usually advised toform a management committee to carry out a number of tasks, such as calling meetings andprepare the agenda, report about actions taken, promote decision-making; follow up theimplementation of the activities, etc This approach, which entails an extra amount of dialogue

as its basis, uses communication to facilitate mutual trust and understanding among peoplesharing a common interest or need

Community Mobilisation:

This is the systematic effort to involve the community in actively taking part in the resolution of

a specific development issue, through communication means and methods This approach aims

at bringing together all the community in order to work together to achieve something beneficialfor all

Communication approaches give you a direction to follow in the use of different techniques andmedia They provide a purpose for using them (i.e to promote, to inform, to educate, to formgroups, etc.) In order to select an appropriate approach you should consider the projectframework, the field findings and most importantly, the communication objectives These willgive you the rough content and themes to be developed which in turn facilitate your task ofselecting the most effective approaches in that situation You can always refine the approaches,

or add new ones, if you see the necessity at a later stage

PARTICIPATORY DESIGN OF MESSAGES

AND DISCUSSION THEMES

2.1 Creating Basic Messages and Discussion Themes: An Overview

2.2 Developing the Creative Strategy or Copy Platform

2.2.1 Specifications

2.2.2 Creating Basic Messages

2.2.3 Creating Discussion Themes

2.2.4 The Process of Creative Design: Appeals

2.2.5 Selecting the Leading Medium and Media Mix

2.2.6 Developing the Basic Treatment

2.2.7 The Communication Brief (including outputs)

2.3 Preliminary Monitoring of Messages and Discussion Themes’ Effectiveness

Chapter two illustrates how you design messages and discussion themes in a participatory manner

At the end of this chapter you will be able to:

1 Understand the difference between messages and discussion themes;

2 Define situation Analysis Framework (SAF): Purpose and rationale;

3 Know what message appeals and message presentations are, and how to use themeffectively in the design of communication materials;

4 Recognise basic media advantages and disadvantages;

5· Develop a draft treatment; and

6· Prepare a communication brief

Objective

Box 3

Difference between basic messages and discussion themes.

2.1 Creating Basic Messages and Discussion Themes: An Overview

Basic messages and discussion themes are the core content of what you want to say You developthese into statements Very often a description or a rough sketch of visuals accompanies suchstatements At this stage the visuals pay very little attention to the appeals or the channels ormedia in which they are to be used

Messages are information that is passed from one person or a group of people to another with theintention of producing an effect Discussion themes are information or ideas designed specifically

to focus the attention of a group on a problem and generate dialogue about possible actions to betaken It can therefore be said that “messages” are usually concerned with information regarding

a solution while “discussion themes” usually pose problems to be discussed by the people.Generally, messages are presented in media like posters, radio/TV spots, jingles and drama Discussionthemes on the other hand get presented in picture codes, story with a gap, flipcharts, participatorytheatre for development, specially designed radio/TV programmes and stories

Message Discussion theme

The creation of messages and discussions themes is one of the most interesting phases of thecommunication programme design process In this phase, the core contents and themes identified

in the previous chapter are creatively turned into appealing and thought provoking messages anddiscussion themes for various activities, channels and media To obtain maximum effect, theinteraction groups must participate in this highly creative process

Be aware that the messages and themes you will be working on are derived from the field findings

It is therefore very important that every time you reach a critical point in the design process you goback to and review, even if only mentally, all relevant data such as NOPS, focal problems, causal

It aims to pass on information and elicit action

• It is supposed to elicit a uniform meaning

from the people

• It provides solutions or it suggests actions

uses to be followed

• It usually includes some text

It shows benefits of solutions to interaction

• It brings out different perceptions of an issue

• It presents a problem or a situation and it questions from a facilitator to provoke discussions

• It is composed only by images without any words

• It helps interaction groups to identify needs, solutions and opportunities

• It aims to generate views on possible causes, solutions, consequence of posed problem

links, people’s perceptions, communication objectives and the significant features of the InteractionGroups profiles This review is needed for the design of your creative strategy or copy platform.The worksheet below shows you the process to be followed in designing messages and discussionthemes.

Basic Messages Specifications Appeals Selection Basic Communication

and Discussion (Objectives of of Medium Treatment Brief, Creative

Themes Discussion Mode (including Themes and outputs)

Basic Messages

2.2 Developing the Creative Strategy or Copy Platform

2.2.1 Specifications

The creative strategy, or copy platform, forms the basis on which messages and discussion themes

are developed It is a written strategy statement of the most important issues to be considered in designing the messages and discussion themes It serves as a guide for the

process of turning field findings into creative communication campaign ideas The copy platform

seeks to re-examine the questions who, why, where, when and how of the messages or discussion

themes At this point in the process a mix of data analysis, experience and creativity is required todesign effective messages and discussion themes

Ensure that all the relevant information discovered about the demographics and psychographics

of the interaction groups and their perceptions of the problems are critically reviewed A carefulre-examination of these elements provides the information for the formulation of the necessary

guide, known as the creative strategy or copy platform, upon which to develop appealing

messages and discussion themes that can bring the subject alive and make the interaction groupstop, look, listen and discuss

The creative strategy or copy platform is based on the following:

(a) Review of the problems

- A careful review of the field findings, especially the community identified and prioritisedNOPS Are the NOPS from the community different from or similar to the original assessment

of the situation by the project? What are the communication implications of the NOPS?

Worksheet 1

The Creative Design Process.

- A critical assessment of the focal problems identified with the community Are they themajor factors causing the main problem? Are they the only factors causing the main problem?Can they be effectively addressed by communication? What will be the more effectivepresentation - messages or discussion themes or a combination?

(b) Definition of the Priority Interaction Groups

- Who are the most likely candidates to be addressed by the messages or discussion themes?

- Have portraits of such groups been developed to describe their cultural, social and economiccharacteristics?

- Why will the interaction group listen to the message or discuss the selected theme?

- What will the interaction groups find interesting and believable about the message ordiscussion theme?

- What are the available and preferred communication networks and information sources ofthe Priority Interaction Groups?

- Who are the influential sources of information and advice in the community for the InteractionGroups?

- What are the sources’ spheres of influence in relation to the problems?

(c) Assessment of the problem-solving approach

- Does it appear to be the most effective?

- Is it sustainable?

- Where does it come from (experts assessment or community based)?

- Does it really address the causes of the problem or just the effects?

(d) Assessment of the communication objectives

- Have the objectives been formulated in such a way that they give an indication of whatneeds to be achieved in terms of communication for the problem to be solved?

- Are they relevant and feasible?

- Are they consistent and directly linked with the focal problems?

- Are they SMART, hence easily measurable? What are the external factors that could affecttheir accomplishment?

(e) Review of the selected communication modes and approaches

- Are the selected modes and approaches the most appropriate for achieving the communicationobjectives?

- Can the approaches complement each other to effectively achieve the communicationapproaches?

(f) Formulation of specifications and objectives for each message and discussion theme

- What will each of the messages or discussion themes specifically accomplish in relation toeach interaction group? How best can the message or communication theme becommunicated?

Earlier, we said that the difference between messages and discussion themes is that messages aresupposed to stand on their own and pass on comprehensible information leading to some change(e.g increasing awareness, promoting a practice, etc.), while discussion themes are used to createdialogue and generate new information

When designing your strategy always consider how you intend to associate the idea you are

promoting or presenting with a certain image, feeling or status This is known as image creation

or positioning This is widely used in advertising An example of this is when a certain drink may

be associated with beautiful cars and women This is done in an attempt to associate the drinkwith a luxurious life style In the social arena you may associate use of condoms when having sexwith a young man who is considerate, keeps healthy, and has a small family and thus enjoys abetter life style Image creation, or positioning, requires that you start with thinking about thecharacteristics of the interaction groups and appealing to their cultural and social system in orderfor you to effectively position whatever you are presenting or proposing

Once you have considered matters of positioning you move on to flesh out the design of the basicmessages and discussion themes on the basis of the creative strategy or copy platform prepared inthe preceding unit You revisit your PRCA and baseline findings in order to improve the effectiveness

of the messages and discussion themes (in terms of symbols, colours, beliefs, wording, etc.)

2.2.2 Creating Basic Messages

When you want to design basic messages follow the guidelines on the next page:

i Stress one major idea;

ii Describe or sketch the preliminary illustrations or story lines;

iii Write down the theme lines/statements and the key words that express the ideas orinformation to be conveyed by the message;

iv Offer benefits and practical solutions that meet the needs of the interaction group;

v Emphasise these features of the idea or innovation that satisfy interaction group’s needs;

vi Keep messages clear, simple, lean and tight Tell the whole story and when you have finished,stop; and

vii Ensure that the message is comprehensible

An example of a basic message is:

Build the new maize storage bin in your compound to protect your crop from pests.