Involving the Community: A Guide to Participatory Development Communication
Ottawa; Penang: International Development Research Centre (IDRC);Southbound (2004), viii, 154 pp.
Contains illustrations, bibliogr. pp. 143-144
ISBN 9-83905441-4
"This guide is intended for people working in research and development. It introduces participatory development communication concepts, discusses the effective two-way communication approaches, and presents a methodology to plan, develop, and evaluate communication strategies to address the following questions: How can researchers and practitioners improve communication with local communities and other stakeholders? How can two-way communication enhance community participation in research and development initiatives and improve the capacity of communities to participate in the management of their natural resources? How can researchers, community members, and development practitioners improve their ability to effectively reach policymakers and promote change?" (Publisher description)
ROLES: THE RESEARCHER OR DEVELOPMENT PRACTITIONER AS A COMMUNICATION ACTOR, 7
METHODOLOGY: HOW TO PLAN A PARTICIPATORY DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION STRATEGY, 31
Step 1: Establishing a relationship with a local community and understanding the local setting, 36
Step 2: Involving the community in the identification of a problem, its potential solutions, and the decision to carry out a concrete initiative, 52
Step 3: Identifying the different community groups and other stakeholders concerned with the identified problem (or goal) and initiative, 60
Step 4: Identifying communication needs, objectives and activities, 67
Step 5: Identifying appropriate communication tools, 72
Step 6: Preparing and pre-testing communication content and materials, 75
Step 7: Facilitating partnerships, 78
Step 8: Producing an implementation plan, 84
Step 9: Monitoring and evaluating the communication strategy and documenting the development or research process, 91
Step 10: Planning the sharing and utilization of results, 106
TOOLS: USING COMMUNICATION TOOLS WITH A PARTICIPATORY APPROACH, 115
Types of communication tools in PDC, 116
Identifying communication tools for different kinds of applications, 130
Conclusion, 141
Bibliography, 143
Annex: Major trends in development communication, 145
METHODOLOGY: HOW TO PLAN A PARTICIPATORY DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION STRATEGY, 31
Step 1: Establishing a relationship with a local community and understanding the local setting, 36
Step 2: Involving the community in the identification of a problem, its potential solutions, and the decision to carry out a concrete initiative, 52
Step 3: Identifying the different community groups and other stakeholders concerned with the identified problem (or goal) and initiative, 60
Step 4: Identifying communication needs, objectives and activities, 67
Step 5: Identifying appropriate communication tools, 72
Step 6: Preparing and pre-testing communication content and materials, 75
Step 7: Facilitating partnerships, 78
Step 8: Producing an implementation plan, 84
Step 9: Monitoring and evaluating the communication strategy and documenting the development or research process, 91
Step 10: Planning the sharing and utilization of results, 106
TOOLS: USING COMMUNICATION TOOLS WITH A PARTICIPATORY APPROACH, 115
Types of communication tools in PDC, 116
Identifying communication tools for different kinds of applications, 130
Conclusion, 141
Bibliography, 143
Annex: Major trends in development communication, 145
