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.

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.

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.