Participatory development communication

Participatory development communication is the use of mass media and traditional, inter-personal means of communication that empowers communities to visualise aspirations and discover solutions to their development problems and issues.

Participatory Communication "Participatory communication is the theory and practices of communication used to involve people in the decision-making of the development process. It intends to return to the roots of its meaning, which, similarly to the term community, originate from the Latin word 'communis', i.e. common (Mody, 1991). Therefore, the purpose of communication should be to make something common, or to share...meanings, perceptions, worldviews or knowledge. In this context, sharing implies an equitable division of what is being shared, which is why communication should almost be naturally associated with a balanced, two-way flow of information."

Based on a "Results" section which synthesises and recaps the main issues by reviewing how the conception and levels of participation identified in his research have shifted in each phase of the project, Mefalopulos concludes by arguing that participatory communication is an approach capable of facilitating people's involvement in decision-making about issues impacting their lives - a process capable of addressing specific needs and priorities relevant to people and at the same time assisting in their empowerment. In fact, he says, participatory communication is "a necessary component, consistent with a democratic vision of international development, needed to increase projects sustainability and ensure genuine ownership by the so-called 'beneficiaries'."

Communication planning for development is a logical process guided by a systematic and rational framework. This framework could be developed through situation-specific data gathered using participatory research techniques.

Situation assessment could be done most effectively in a participatory manner through PRCA or participatory rural communication appraisal. Three kinds of analysis are done in PRCA: audience analysis, programme analysis, and situation analysis. Audience analysis Audience analysis is essentially "listening" to what potential users of information need. They are the ones whom the communication program intends to reach. Users of information are also referred to as stakeholders of a communication program. Collecting baseline information about these stakeholders is an essential preliminary step towards developing a communication strategy. Segmentation, or dividing large groups of stakeholders into smaller groups, helps achieve focus in communication strategy development. Segmentation is usually done in two ways:

What are the factors which cause a gap between the existing and desired behavior of stakeholders? Is the problem due to the stakeholders' lack of awareness or knowledge of the nature of the problem? Or is it attitudinal in nature? Could the gap be due to their lack of skills to carry out certain practices? Situation analysis likewise includes assessing the communication resources in the area which could be tapped for the communication program. Knowledge of the area's mass and small media, as well as interpersonal means of communication, should contribute substantially to strategy development. Programme analysis When doing program analysis, program planners need to take both an inward and an outward look at the situation that is, looking at the organization's own vision, policies, resources, strengths, and weaknesses relevant to the problem. Are there adequate resources to realize this vision? How well are program managers using available resources? At the same time, it is important to scan the environment for existing programs that could affect, positively or negatively, the communication strategy to be developed.

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