Development communication:

Need and Importance

Nelson Mandela said.
Make poverty history. It is not
natural, but man made and it can be
eradicated by the actions of human
beings.
Year 2006: 1.3 billion people worldwide still live in absolute poverty.

Why there are problems

still?
UN

and its members strive endlessly

to alleviate poverty globally
Key problems yet unresolved
Have any solutions worked at all?
Even with most revolutionary
technologytotal development still
seems a dream unfulfilled.

The major flaw

Revolutionary

communication tools
marginalized as partners in
development process

Communication

gap with end-users

Successful development
communication
A socio-cultural process of
Dialogue
Information-sharing
Building mutual understanding
Agreeing to collective action
Amplifying the voice of the end users

Tools of successful
development communication
Variety

of communication vehicles
from mass to community media
New technologies to traditional media
Folk media
Inter-personal communication

Effective application
Free,

independent, pluralistic,
responsible media

Open

and accountable govt.

What is development
communication?
Communication

for development

Communication

for social change

Definition
Process of identifying, segmenting
and targeting specific groups and
audiences with particular strategies,
messages and training programs
through various mass media and
interpersonal channels, traditional
and non-traditional (McKee 1992).

Definition
A process of dialogue, information
sharing, mutual understanding and
agreement, and collective action
(Rockefeller Foundation 2000).

Characteristics of
development communication

Different perceptions at different levels

Earlier seen as a support to the
development sector
Some see it as an exclusive sector
More in favor of face-to-face
communication
Others favor mediated communication

The two faces of development

communication
Face

I: Development communication
envisions communication as a way to
ORGANIZE and DELIVER
information to fill KNOWLEDGE
GAPS or PERSUADE audiences for
behavior change

FACE II
Development communication goes
beyond organizing and delivering
information.
It is a process needed to build trust,
seek consensus and assess the
situation involving all stakeholders.

The common thread

Media

New

Information technologies

What works: Five key ideas

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Focus on individual and contextual factors

in behavior change
Integrate top-down and bottom-up
approaches
Have a tool-kit approach
Combine media and interpersonal
communication
Community empowerment should be the
goal

Focus on individual and

contextual factors
Comprehensive

approach to address
factors that affect behavior.

Focus

on individual, family,
community, and policy levels.

Integrate top-down and

bottom-up approaches
Combination

of actions by
governments, donors, and civil
society.

Use

of communication strategies at
multiple levels.

Tool-kit approach

Use

different techniques in different

contexts according to problems,
priorities, and target groups.

Combine media and

interpersonal communication

Stimulate social networks and peer

conversation.

Community empowerment

Community

empowerment should be
the goal of interventions.

In nutshell

Communication for development

Communication for social change
Information, education and communication
Behavior change communication
Social mobilization
Media advocacy
Strategic communication
Participatory communication