Development Communication

An Introduction
Communication
(in general)
“Communications” and “communication” are not the
same thing.
The plural form refers mainly to activities and products,
including information technologies, media products, and
services (the Internet, satellites, broadcasts, and so forth).
The singular form, on the other hand, usually refers to the
process of communication, emphasizing its dialogical
and analytical functions rather than its informative nature
and media products.
This distinction is significant at the theoretical,
methodological, and operational levels.
Everyday Communication and
Professional Communication
 There is a sharp difference between everyday communication and
professional communication.
 Such a statement might seem obvious, but the two are frequently
equated, either overtly or more subtly, as in,“ He or she communicates
well; hence, he or she is a good communicator.”
 A person who communicates well is not necessarily a person who can
make effective and professional use of communication.
 Each human being is a born communicator, but not everyone can
communicate strategically, using the knowledge of principles and
experience in practical applications.
 A professional (development) communication specialist understands
relevant theories and practices and is capable of designing effective
strategies that draw from the full range of communication approaches
and methods to achieve intended objectives.
Development Communication and Other
types of Communication
There is a significant difference between development
communication and other types of communication.
Both theoretically and practically, there are many different
types of applications in the communication family.
There are four main types of communication, which are
represented significantly in the work of the World Bank:
advocacy communication, corporate communication, internal
communication, and development communication.
Each has a different scope and requires specific knowledge and
skills to be performed effectively.
Expertise in one area of communication is not sufficient to
ensure results if applied in another area.
Common Types of Communication in
Development Organizations
 Corporate communication: Definition-communicate the
mission and activities of the organization, mostly for
external audiences
 Main Functions-Use media outputs and products to
promote the mission and values of the institution; inform
selected audiences about relevant activities.
 Internal Communication: Definition-facilitate the flow
of information within an institution/project. Sometimes this
area can be included in corporate communication.
 Main Functions: Ensure timely and effective sharing of
relevant information within the staff and institution units. It
enhance synergies and avoids duplication.
Common Types of Communication in
Development Organizations
 Advocacy Communication: Definition-Influence change
at the public or policy level and promote issues related to
development.
 Main Functions-Raise awareness on hot development
issues; use communication methods and media to influence
specific audiences and support the intended change.
 Development Communication: Definition-Support
sustainable change in development operations by engaging
key stakeholders.
 Main Functions- Establish conducive environments for
assessing risks and opportunities; disseminate information;
induce behaviors and social change.
Main Scope and Functions of
Development Communication
 The main scope and functions of development communication are not
exclusively about communicating information and messages, but they also
involve engaging stakeholders and assessing the situation.
 Communication is not only about “selling ideas.” Such a conception could
have been appropriate in the past, when communication was identified with
mass media and the linear Sender-Message-Channel-Receiver model, whose
purpose was to inform audiences and persuade them to change.
 Not surprisingly, the first systematic research on the effects of
communication was carried out soon after World War II, when
communication activities were mostly associated with a controversial
concept—propaganda.
 Currently, the scope of development communication has broadened to
include an analytical aspect as well as a dialogical one—intended to open
public spaces where perceptions, opinions, and knowledge of relevant
stakeholders can be aired and assessed.
Communication Research
Development communication initiatives can never be
successful unless proper communication research is
conducted before deciding on the strategy.
A communication professional should not design a
communication campaign or strategy without having
all the relevant data to inform his or her decision.
If further research is needed to obtain relevant data, to
identify gaps, or to validate the project assumptions,
the communication specialist must not hesitate to make
such a request to the project management.
Behavior and social change
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Communication Research
Even when a communication specialist is called in the
middle of a project whose objectives appear straightforward
and clearly defined, specific communication research should
be carried out if there are gaps in the available data.
Assumptions based on the experts’ knowledge should
always be triangulated with other sources to ensure their
overall validity.
Given its interdisciplinary and cross-cutting nature,
communication research should ideally be carried out at the
inception of any development initiative, regardless of the
sector or if a communication component would be needed at
a later stage.
An Example,
“When a Perfectly Appropriate Technical
Solution Does Not Make Much Sense”
During a poverty reduction assessment mission in an Asian
country, the team composed of various sector specialists
identified a few solutions meant to improve the livelihoods
of villagers in the community.
Among other issues, the experts noted that women, who
were doing a number of heavy chores, had to walk almost an
hour to fetch water from the nearby river.
If a water well was built by the village, the experts reckoned
that women would save time and energy that were now
required in the daily walks to the river. As a result, a
technically sound proposal was done, funds were made
available and the water well was quickly built.
“When a Perfectly Appropriate Technical
Solution Does Not Make Much Sense”
One year later a follow-up mission returned to the same community.
To the experts’ surprise, the newly built water well was rarely being
used by the women.
When they asked for the reasons, after some initial resistance from the
villagers, the experts learned that the walk to the river was one of the
few daily moments in which women could be together and socialize.
Taking away that walk meant taking away their only moments of
sharing part of their lives and having some relaxed moments away
from the other hard chores they carried out individually.
If dialog and simple two-way communication had occurred before
making the decision to build a well, this aspect would have probably
emerged and a more culturally appropriate alternative would have
been found.
Effective Development Communication
Strategy
To be effective in their work, development
communication specialists need to have a specific and
in-depth knowledge of the theory and practical
applications of the discipline.
 In addition to being familiar with the relevant literature
about the various communication theories, models, and
applications, development communication specialists
should also be educated in the basic principles and
practices of other interrelated disciplines, such as
anthropology, marketing, sociology, ethnography,
psychology, adult education, and social research.
Effective Development Communication
Strategy
In the current development framework, it is particularly
important that a specialist be acquainted with participatory
research methods and techniques, monitoring and
evaluation tools, and basics principles of strategy design.
Additionally, a good professional should also have the
right attitude toward people, being empathic and willing to
listen and to facilitate dialog in order to elicit and
incorporate stakeholders’ perceptions and opinion.
 Most of all, a professional development communication
specialist needs to be consistently issue-focused, rather
than institution-focused.
Development Communication Support
and Effective Project
Development communication support can only be as
effective as the project itself.
Even the most well-designed communication strategy will
fail if the overall objectives of the project are not properly
determined, if they do not enjoy a broad consensus from
stakeholders, or if the activities are not implemented in a
satisfactory manner.
Sometimes communication experts are called in and asked to
provide solutions to problems that were not clearly
investigated and defined, or to support objectives that are
disconnected from the political and social reality on the
ground.
Development Communication Support and
Effective Project
In such cases, the ideal solution is to carry out field
research or a communication- based assessment to
probe key issues, constraints, and feasible options.
Tight deadlines and budget limitations, however, often
induce managers to put pressure on communication
experts to produce quick fixes, trying to force them to
act as short-term damage-control public relations or
“spin doctors.”
In such cases, the basic foundations of development
communication are neglected, and the results are
usually disappointing, especially over the long term.
Development Communication and
Change in Behavior
Development communication is not exclusively about behavior change. The areas
of intervention and the applications of development communication extend
beyond the traditional notion of behavior change to include, among other things,
probing socioeconomic and political factors, identifying priorities, assessing risks
and opportunities, empowering people, strengthening institutions, and promoting
social change within complex cultural and political environments.
That development communication is often associated with behavior change could
be ascribed to a number of factors, such as its application in health programs or its
use in mass media to persuade audiences to adopt certain practices.
These kinds of interventions are among the most visible, relying heavily on
communication campaigns to change people’s behaviors and to eliminate or
reduce often fatal risks (for example, AIDS).
The reality of development, though, is complex and often requires broader
changes than specific individual behavior.
Media and Information Technology
Media and information technologies are not the backbone of development
communication.
As a matter of fact, the value-added of development communication occurs
before media and information and communication technologies (ICTs) are even
considered.
Of course, media and information technologies are part of development
communication, and they are important and useful means to support
development.
Their application, however, comes at a later stage, and their impact is greatly
affected by the communication work done in the research phase.
Project managers should be wary of “one-size-fits-all” solutions that appear to
solve all problems by using media products.
Past experience indicates that unless such instruments are used in connection
with other approaches and based on proper research, they seldom deliver the
intended results.
Participatory Communication Approaches
Participatory approaches and participatory communication
approaches are not the same thing and should not be used
interchangeably, but they can be used together, as their functions are
often complementary, especially during the research phase.
Even if there are some similarities between the two types of
approaches, most renowned participatory approaches, such as
participatory rural appraisal (PRA) or participatory action research
(PAR), do not usually assess the range and level of people’s
perceptions and attitudes on key issues, identify communication entry
points, and map out the information and communication systems that
can be used later to design and implement the communication strategy.
Instead, these are all key activities carried out in a participatory
communication assessment.
Communication for development
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