Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Behavior Change Communication

Behavior Change Communication is a development communication strategy to make a positive behavioral change in the individual level. In a sense it support individual to have a good change in the private life as well as in a big scale to the society itself.

Roles of Behavior Change Communication:

• Increase individual knowledge
• Encourage participation
• Reduce discrimination
• Improve skills and sense of self-efficiency

Behavior change communication similar to Media Advocacy or Social marketing but the difference is here it brings individual level change. And as we can imagine if the change started to happen then in a mass scale then it will change to society too.

Examples of Behavior change communication:
* Using the dust bin.

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Social marketing & its four "P"

What is Social marketing?

Social Marketing is a systematic application of marketing, along with other concepts and techniques, to achieve specific behavioral changes for a social good. It can be used for making a positive change in the society for the society. So social marketing is to market or spread a new improved thought in the society. For a example we can say that we can start a social marketing about a thought that “Don’t smoke”.

How it is different to Media Advocacy?

They are almost same by their objective in the society. But the difference is in their systematic approach. Media advocacy work on a higher level, in the policy level but social marketing works on individual level.


The "Four P's" of social marketing

1) Product: In social marketing "product" is not some thing tangible, physical products. It is like an objective or goal of making awareness among the people for there betterment & the society.

2) Price: Here price can not be said as money. It is the sacrifice people have to do for benefit that they will get after adopting the concept.

3) Place or channel: Place or channel is the way people will get the information or product which we are marketing socially. It can be a school, office or mass media itself. This part can affect previous part of price.

4) Promotion: Lastly, the last "P" of this process is promotion. Promotion is the final use of advertising, public relations, billboards etc.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Media advocacy

Media advocacy

Media advocacy is the systematic method of using a message or communication via TV, radio, newspapers or leaflets etc to promote a public awareness, debate, and generate community support for bring a change in the community or society’s thoughts, mainly policies. It means using mass media a policy level change will happen in the community for the betterment of the people.


Elements of Media Advocacy

There are some key factors or elements which must be fulfilled a media advocacy to be successful.

Communication Objective
The goal of the communication must be well defined.

Target Audience
As the main job is for the people so we need to fix up our target audience. It is also a important part the process. The primary target audience can of a huge number but limited secondary audience can be useful to convey the massage properly.

The Objective’s Message
To obtain the goal we need to define our main massage to be conveyed to the target audience. The message will consist of the information which will focus on our goal.

Key Stakeholders
We must determine the most effective communication stakeholders or opinion leader through whom our message could be conveyed to the target audience successfully.

Target the Media
To have a successful communication we must find a effective media to convey our massage for the target audience.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Participatory Communication in indigenous health development: A focus group study.

Participatory is a tow-way dialogical communication which involves participation of the audience in the program for the best result out of it. It mainly involves audience in dialogue, collaboration & group decision making.

A participatory communication way was taken to a focus group study in the village community of Nepal & Remote Aboriginal Community of Central Australia to discuses some aspects of Participatory Communication in indigenous health development. They involve 10-15 people in community aged 20-50 of both male & female, but because of cultural problems female participants ware not able to participate from Remote Aboriginal Community of Central Australia.

Its main objective was for its audiences to discuss about health development there, inform them about the issue etc.

In the discussion they have talked about their problem what they faces with previous programs related to health development. They mentioned about lack of communication or interaction, tow-way communication, relevant information, group discussion, seriousness about their cultural sensitivity.

As a result this program had disclosed the problem with previous indigenous health development programs & opened a path for a batter one.

Strategic Communication & P-Process


Strategic Communication simply can be said as a communication with a predefine strategy. Communication without strategy can just make a communication but to be a complete one it must be done with some strategy.

P-Process is a guide line for developing a strategic communication programs. This is a step-by-step map for communication professionals to be in a strategic stage from a loosely stage. This process is used with a wide range of development communication like heath issues.

Steps of P-Process

  1. Analysis: This is the first step of P-Process. It includes situation analysis & audience analysis.
  2. Strategic Design: This is the second step which includes establishing a communication objective, developing program approaches & positioning, determining channels, drawing up an implementation plan, developing a monitoring & evaluation plan.
  3. Development & Testing: It is the third step of P-Process including developing guideline, tools, toolkits etc. & testing the development. After tasting revise & if necessary retest the development.
  4. Implementation & monitoring: This fourth step of the P-Process is about the participation of audience. It includes producing & disseminates, train trainers & field workers, mobilize key participants, manage & monitor program, adjust program based on monitoring.
  5. Evaluation & Replanning: This is the last step on the P-Process but it leads to the first step again. This step includes measuteing outcomes & assesses impacts, disseminate results, determine future needs & revise or redesign program if needed.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Three paradigm of Development Communication

Modernization Paradigm: It was suppose to change or transform traditional countries to modern countries. But because of some problems like top-down & one way communication; it failed to fulfill the needs & got exchanged by another paradigm called Dependency Paradigm.


Dependency Paradigm: This was also seen as a tool to endure the people & forge alliances among developing countries. But this paradigm was also replaced because it also had the same negative sides Modernization Paradigm had. Also is focus on mass media but the control was in the hand of state.


Participatory Paradigm: This paradigm is based on people & there participation or their involvement in the developing process. And also, it use two way communications or parallel communication & it also use media as platform of having interactive dialogues.

Types of Communication

  1. Corporate communication: Communicate the mission & activities of the organization, mostly for external audiences. Its main function is to promote or inform some key audiences about the main mission & values of any institution by the use of media outputs & products. When an organization use the media to inform the audiences about their own values or products then it become corporate communication.
  2. Internal communication: facilitate the flow of information within an institution or project. Some times it can be included it corporate communication. Its main function is to share relevant information within an institution’s different units or staffs in time & effectively. It is very important because it enhances synergies & avoids duplication.
  3. Advocacy communication: Influence change at the public or policy level & promote issues related to development. It mainly influence audiences to support the intended charge they main raise aware of by communication.
  4. Development communication: Support sustainable change in development operations by engaging key stakeholders. It mainly supports & encourages developing changes in society.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

History of Development Communication

The term “Development Communication” was first introduced in 1972 by Nora C. Quebral. She is actually the pioneer of development communication in Asia. She is also called “Mother of Development Communication”. But development communication was famous in the other countries like Canada. Then a Farm Radio forum was introduced with the help of development communication from 1941-1965.
Some other famous works are:

- Instructional Television in El Salvador in 1970
- Interpersonal communication in Oryu Li village in Korea in 1970.
- Social Markating in Bolivia in 1980.
- U.S. Government, Comic Books And Children Affected by Kosovo War.

Friday, May 29, 2009

Definition of Development Communication

Development communication means having some development using communication. Any kind of development which is connected to the use of communication is called development communication.


The art and science of human communication linked to a society’s planned transformation from a state of poverty to one of dynamic socio-economic growth that makes for greater equity and the larger unfolding of individual potential. This definition of development communication was stated by Nora V Quebral.