Planning Overview

Topics to Consider

Questions to answer:
 What specific health problems are we addressing?
 What approach or combination of approaches can best influence
the problem?
 What measurable, reasonable objectives will we use to define
success?
 Who is our intended audience? How will we learn about them?
 What actions should we encourage our intended audience to
take?
 What settings, channels, and activities are most appropriate for
reaching the intended goals of our communication objectives?
 How will we measure progress? What baseline info. will we use
to conduct our evaluation?

Tasks:
 Understand the health issue we’re addressing
 Identify the approaches necessary to bring about or support the
desired changes
 Establish a logical program development process
 Set priorities
 Assign responsibilities
Planning Steps
Making Health Communication Programs Work—National Cancer Institute

1. Asses the health issues or problems of focus and identify all components of
possible solutions
A. The problems or issues and their prevalence
B. Who is affected (the potential intended audience) including sex, age,
ethnicity, economic conditions, educational or reading level, place of
work and residence
C. The effects of the health problems on individuals and communities
D. Possible causes and preventive measures
E. Possible solutions, treatments, or remedies (including communication,
policy change, etc.)
F. Identify existing activities and gaps (what other organizations are doing
to address the problems and what change is still needed)

2. Define communication objectives

A. Reasonable and realistic (achievable)
B. Supportive of health program’s goals
C. Specific to the changes desired, and the period during which change
should take place
D. Measurable, to allow you to track progress
E. Prioritized

3. Define and learn about intended audiences

A. Behavioral characteristics
B. Cultural characteristics
C. Demographic characteristics
D. Physical characteristics
E. Psychographic characteristics

4. Explore settings, channels, and activities best suited to reach intended audiences
A. Settings:
 Places where the program can reach the intended audience
 Times when intended audience members may be most attentive
and open to the program
 Places they can act upon the message
 Places or situations in which they will find the message most
credible
B. Channels:
 Interpersonal (friends, family members, counselors, etc.)
 Group (lunches, classroom activities, club meetings, etc.)
 Mass Media (radio, network TV, magazines, direct mail,
newsletters, newspapers, etc.)
 Interactive Digital Media (Internet, bulletin boards, newsgroups,
chat rooms, etc.)
C. Activities:
 Hotline counseling, patient counseling, instruction, informal
discussion
  Meetings, conferences, special events, workplace campaigns
 Ads, news, feature stories, inserted sections on a health topic,
letters to editors
 Talk shows, web sites, chat rooms, public affairs

5. Identify potential partners and develop partnering plans

A. Supplemental printing, promotion, and distribution of materials
B. Sponsorship of publicity and promotion
C. Purchase of advertising space/time
D. Creation of advertising about your organization’s priority themes and
messages
E. Underwriting of communication materials or program development

6. Develop a communication strategy for the intended audience

A. Write a creative brief
 A definition and description of the intended audience
 A description of the action the intended audience members
should take (the change the communication objective specifies)
 A list of any obstacles to taking action
 The consumer-perceived benefit of taking action
 A description of support that will make the benefit, and its
ability to attain it, credible to the audience (hard data,
demonstrations, or peer testimonials of success)
 The settings, channels, and activities that will reach intended
audience members
 The image your program plans to convey through the tone, look,
and feel of messages