Communication Strategies in Effective Organizations

8/3/2019 Communication Strategies in Effective Organizations

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Communication Strategies in Effective Organizations

Effective communication within an organization requires sound strategies and clear objectives.

Communication is a critical function in organizations of all sizes. Clearly it is evident that evenone on one interaction can be laden with challenges and misunderstandings. By communicating

persistently and concentrating on outcome and relations, businesses can influence effective

communication strategies to create solid results among multiple audiences.

It is widely accepted that if the following strategies are followed; an organization will be cable

of ensuring effective communication strategies, which will enable them to achieve their

corporate goals and objectives.

Open Communication

An environment that is conducive for open communication is which enable all members of the

organization to feel free to share feedback, ideas and even criticism at all levels. Superiors whoare committed to open communication will inevitably build an environment of trust that can be

the foundation for success.

Inclusive Communication

An inclusive communication strategy is one in which explicit steps are taken to ensure that all

employees feel they are involved in decisions that directly affect their daily work routines.

Organizations with a secretive communication environment put down the lid on affected

people, which can choke involvement and effect in loss of new ideas and opportunities.

Employee involvement is a key factor that will affect employee satisfaction and success.

Two-Way Communication

Effective communication strategies involve two-way communication between members of the

organization. Companies in which managers successfully engage employees in conversation

about their work, their ideas and their perspectives on issues related to products, services,

customers and the business environment develop a culture of inclusiveness that usually

generates astounding outcome.

Results-Driven CommunicationBusiness communication should be results-driven and tactically focused on achieving

quantifiable results. Organizations need to think about what employees need to know to dotheir jobs effectively, to interact with customers successfully and to serve as ambassadors

outside of the organization.

Multi-Channeled

Effective communicators know that communiqus need to be delivered multiple times in

multiple ways to have sufficient impact. Employee communication needs and preferences differ


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and different messages require different mediums Using multiple channels to communicate

with various audiences will increase the odds that interactions are acknowledged and under.

STEP ONE: Know Critical Strategic Communications Practices

Knowing the specific practices associated with strategic communications is the first step to

assessing an organizations performance and capacity with respect to those practices.

These are practices that every nonprofit trying to implement strategic communications

should be performing at some level, whether by a single individual or by many staff

members throughout the organization.

The table on the next page identifies sixteen essential strategic communications practices.

They are grouped into three categories: 1) strategy, 2) implementation, and 3) support and

alignment.

Strategy Includes the core tasks of communications planning and strategydevelopment.

Implementation Includes practices most common to an organization with anactive communications function.

Support and Alignment Includes non-communications-specific practiceswithin the organization that helps to ensure the communications function is successful.

The table also offers quality standards or criteria for each practice. They describe in brief

what the practices should look like.this list, just on its own, has substantial value in the

audit process. It can be used as a checklist to help determine if an organization is actually

performing each strategic communications practice. But more importantly, the audit

process can reveal if quality criteria are being met, and if not where improvements can be

made in howthe practice is performed.

Objectives Making them SMART

What do we want our communications to achieve? Are our

objectives SMART?What, ultimately, do we want from communications? All strategies must start with an

Understanding of objectives.

Communications can be expensive in resources and time More precisely we can state our reasons forcommunicating, the better well be able to Spend those precious resources.

Communications objective.We want our communications to make our research Understandable and to ultimately influencepolicy. This might apply to the organization As a whole or to a single project, or both. Afterdefining a general objective, we should create precise sub-objectives. The SMART acronym isuseful here: all of our objectives should be


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Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Results-orientated andTime-limited.In the end we want to evaluate what weve done, so the Smarter we can be, the easier itWill be to ultimately assess and adjust our activities. As the World Wildlife Fund Offers [no year],examples of strong, specific, clear and measurable communications Objectives could include:building awareness of a project or programmed among a tightly Defined audience; securing thecommitment of a defined group of stakeholders to the Projects aims; influencing specific policies orpolicymakers among key and defined Aspects; and encouraging increased stakeholder participation onspecific issues.

Audience Primary and Secondary TargetsWho is our audience? Do we have a primary and a secondary audience? What

information do they need? to take action on our work?Understanding audiences is fundamental. There may be several different types, each

With their own likes needs and abilities. As has been stressed throughout this Toolkit, the Better weknow our audience and what they need to understand our work the better our chances toinfluence them. If we dont see them, appreciate them and listen to them, we will never reach them.Our communications efforts hinge upon this type of understanding. For instance, we could spendtime and finance in creating a video but if our audience is, for instance, Rural villagers, will theyhave the hardware to play it? Will they speak the language of the Video? If not, can we add subtitles?

And will they be able to read those? Each audience Have its own needs, ranging from the intellectual(research comprehension) to The cultural to the practical (owning a radio, having Electricity) and thegreater we understand and respect these boundaries, the likelier we are To achieve our desiredimpact. Our audience into two: the Ministry of Health and local communities. If we revisit ourSpecific communications objectives, we can see that there are (at least) two other Audiencessuggested: the national media and the international community. With the idea

Communications Objectives in Action: The International

Monetary Fundcommunications strategy is particularly useful in illustrating how communications can

be used to assist an organization in realizing its core objectives. Their communicationStrategy seeks, above all, to strengthen the Funds effectiveness principally byraising Understanding and support among key constituencies of the Funds missionand reform Agenda; and using communication as a tool in the delivery of the Fundsoperational activities. Its communications objectives aim: to build understanding andsupport for the IMFs reform Agenda...further integrate communications with operations,raise the impact of communication tools, and rebalance outreach efforts. Each of those


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areas is large but very well defined, and the remainder of its Communications Strategyelaborates upon each of these objectives.

Chapter 6: Designing a Communications Strategy7

Of serving both primary and secondary targets, we can developappropriate messages for.

Essential Strategic Communications Practices

Strategic Communications PracticesQualityCriteria/Standards

Strategy

a. Identify the vision

The

communications visionis alignedwith, butdistinctfrom, theorganizations overallmission.

b. Choose goals

and outcomes

Goals and outcomes are welldefined, measurable, and help

guide a defined plan of action.

c. Select targetaudiences

Audiences are specific (notthe general public) andinclude key decision makersor individuals with influence onthe issue.

d. Developmessages

Messages are specific, clear,persuasive, reflect audiencevalues, and include a solutionor course of action.

e. Identify crediblemessengers

Messengers are seen ascredible by the targetaudiences, and can berecruited and available to thecause.

f. ChooseOutlets (e.g. both in the air(media) and on the ground)


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communicationsmechanisms/outlets

are chosen for their accessand availability to targetaudiences

g. Scan the contextand competition

Risks and contextual variablesthat can affect

communications success areidentified and factored intoplanning when possible.

Implementation

h. Develop effective materials

Materialsaredevelopedin attractive,accessible,and variedformats formaximum

exposureandvisibility.

i. Build valuablepartnerships

Linkages exist with internaland external stakeholders whocan help align with and carrythe message.

j. Train messengers

Internal and externalmessengers are trained in keymessages and are consistentin their delivery.

k. Conduct steadyoutreach

Outreach and dissemination toaudiences through multipleoutlets is regular andsustained.

l. Monitor andevaluate

Activities and outcomes areregularly monitored andevaluated for purposes ofaccountability and continuousimprovement.

Support and

Integration

m. Support communications at theleadership level

Manageme

ntunderstands andsupportscommunications as anintegral partof


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organizational viabilityandsuccess.

n. Earmarksufficient resources

Fundraising regularly includesdedicated resources forcommunications practice.

o. Integratecommunicationsthroughout theorganization

Communications is seen asan integral part of everyorganizational project orstrategy.

p. Involve staff at alllevels

Communications is not seen

as an isolated function; most ifnot all staff members havesome knowledge and/orparticipation in

Communication Strategy Design: Purpose and RationaleThe purpose of designing a communication strategy is to address and solve problems atthe should be done with the people, not just for the people. After field work you reviewyour findings. You compare your project perceptions and assessment with thecommunity perceptions and assessment. This should lead to a new view, or at least a

Different view, of the main problems and their causes, which should always be withinthe Boundaries of your project scope and objectives. At times this can be a sensitiveissue, either because the community has a different perception which is imposingsolutions on the community. Whatever the case, you might find yourself in the difficultposition of having to choose between the views of the people (who should always beyour priority concern), and those of management (Who are the ones affecting yourprofessional life). Depending on the situation you are in and


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Open knowledgeWhat we know and what they know

Their hidden knowledgeand what we they know do not know

Our hidden knowledgeWhat we know and they do

Blindness

What we do not know and they not knowdo not know

SMART Communication ObjectivesDuring the course of field research and problem analysis you identify critical areas anddefine communication objectives. Usually the latter are formulated in a rather genericmanner such as Increase the awareness of the community on the importance offeeding practices or reducethe malnutrition rate of children under five. Even thoughobjectives such as these provide a definite direction towards a solution they are toovague to provide you with a clear indication about what you are supposed to achieve

exactly. That is why at this point you should make your objectives SMART. That is,objectives should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-framed. Anexample of a SMART objective can be Raise the awareness of proper feeding practices in the district among 70% of all women between the age of 16 and 40 by theend of the next year. Having SMART objectives makes it easier to clearly define whatyou are supposed to achieve, hence facilitating the monitoring and evaluation process.This also provides further support in the definition of the expected outputs.Communication objectives directly address issues such as awareness, knowledge,attitude, practice, Behavior and participation. Each of these represents a communicationlevel, which needs to be dealt with separately. If for instance your objective is to inducechange in behavior concerning personal hygiene practices, first you need to make the

people concerned aware that there is a problem with the previous behavior. You thenmake sure that the knowledge and the attitude necessary for the change to take placeare present. It is only when all these prerequisites are met that you can hope to achieveyour communication objectives. In most instances change can be considered to be aninnovation. Hence it can be dealt with as an adoption of innovation. The AdoptionLadder process, highlighted in figure 5 on the right, can help you to understand betterthe sequence of such adoption and the various communications.Levels: Awareness of the problem: people must perceive there is a problem in the firstPlace. Interest: after being aware they need to show an interest in the specific problem;

Knowledge/comprehension: in order to decide to go for change and adopt an Innovation, people need to be knowledgeable about it; Attitude: attitude is another factor determining peoples orientation in Accepting andadopting an innovation. Legitimization: is the innovation in line with the norms and legal system of thecommunity? This aspect is related to the overall legislation and policy currently in use.However it can also be related to the cultural and social acceptance of the innovation,and the fact of having to face strong peer pressure in order to adopt it. Practice: before


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actually adopting and putting in action an innovation peopleneed to try it out in order totest its feasibility and effectiveness. Further actions might be needed to ensure itssustainability. This adoption ladder facilitates the identification of the communicationentry points, which may be concerned with raising the awareness or the knowledge of acertain issue, or changing attitudes or encouraging the use of certain practices. You can

therefore select the most appropriate communication approaches according to the leveltargeted by your communication objectives.

TheCommunication Intervention

Identifying Rough Core Content and Themes to be developedNo matter what communication modes and approaches you choose to use, you need toidentify the rough core content or themes that your communication strategy will dealwith. In order to define this area, which sometimes is also referred to as the contentplatform, you need to look at your SMART objectives. In the previous example, theobjective set, already defined the rough Content, which is dealing with feedingpractices. At this point you only need to know that feeding address in your

communication strategy. Later on you should get more information on the issue and seehow to treat the relevant themes in an Effective way, so as to achieve thecommunication objective. Communication approaches are ways of using.

Communication techniques methods and media

To address specific issues in the most effective way.Stage in Communication Strategy Design. This is when the Communication

intervention starts. Several important questions are asked at this stage: Which channels and media are going to be used? What information is going to be considered?

Which materials are going to be produced?It is very important to note that the way in which communication materials, techniquesand Methods are used can have a great influence on the final results. Communicationmodes and Approaches assist in determining which direction to focus thecommunication.

Communication approaches are ways of using communication techniques,

methods and media to address specific issues in the most

effective way.Selecting communication modes andApproaches are a very crucialstage in Communication Strategy Design. This is when the communication interventionstarts. Several important questions are asked at this stage: Which channels and media are going to be used? What information is going to be considered? Which materials are going to be produced?It is very important to note that the way in which communication materials, techniquesand methods are used can have a great influence on the final results. Communication


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modes and approaches assist in determining which direction to focus thecommunication (e.g. promote, educate, inform.) in order to have the best results.

Main Communication ModesIn the Action Programmed workshops you will deal in detail with the Participatory

Message Design Approach, or Mode as it has been labeled in this Handbook. This isdue to the fact that in organizing a Campaign it is the Participatory Message DesignMode that is most frequently used. However, there are other possibilities. In thisHandbook we shall consider three main communication modes only. Each one of theseincludes a certain number of communication approaches. To simplify and clarify theissue we shall consider persuasion, advocacy, information and promotion as part of thediscussion themes/message design category, education and training

Participatory Discussion Themes/Message DesignIn development, Participatory Discussion Themes and Message Design are concernedwith identifying critical topics, elaborating relevant information and passing certaincontents, either in a one-way manner or through a two-way dialogue mode, in order toaddress a situation which needs to be improved. When developing messages andthemes you should always keep in mind that the participatory element should bepresent as much as possible. The message to be passed on should be identified anddealt with, with the community or the selected group. Ideally you should discuss with thecommunity the content, but also the approaches, appeals, media and the way topresent them. If that is not possible you have to make the best of the time you canspend with the community and then devote extra time and extra attention to the pre-testing phase. The same applies for the discussion themes design. This differs from themessage design in that its aim is not to pass a definite message but rather to create thebasis for discussing a critical issue. Picture codes and cloth flipcharts are often used for

this purpose. As the term suggests discussion themes design aims to developcommunication materials designed to debate certain topics. The aim here is to have thecommunity open up and become aware of certain issues, exploring its pros and cons.This can be a very effective way of dealing with issues which, if given as straightforwardmessages, might not be taken into account. When the same issues are presented anddiscussed openly with the community they usually acknowledge and reflect upon manyof the points in question. Moreover being a two-way approach, discussion themes andtools often offer useful insights to help you understand and work towards a solution ofthe problem.

Instructional DesignCommunication strategy development should not be limited to the challenge ofdesigning appropriate and effective messages. Not all desired changes can be inducedby messages. Some situations require a more interpersonal intervention. The scope ofthe instructional design mode is that of providing part of the community, or the selectedInteraction Groups, with certain skills or knowledge necessary to address a problem. Byusing training or education approaches people have the opportunity of becoming


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familiar with complex issues; of acquiring knowledge and Skills useful for improving theirsituation. Education and training are also effective approaches in addressing changes ofattitude.

Group Mobilization Activities Design

The third broad category that can be adopted in your communication strategy is GroupMobilization. It is a way of organizing people in groups around specific issues and/orobjectives. The purpose of the group mobilization mode is that of strengthening thepossibilities for Successful action, through the uniting of many people with differentbackgrounds but with similar Objectives. It includes the following approaches:community mobilization, partnerships/ Networking and group formation. All of theseapproaches try to organize the community, or part of it, in order to address the mainproblem facing the community or group more effectively. For the same purpose, thecommunity may decide to work towards a common Objective with some outside entities,taken on board as partners. Once one of the approaches in this mode has beenselected, it is important to make sure that everybody understands the purpose and

benefits of such an effort. The group size, rationale and purpose need to be carefullyAssessed. According to the situation, there might be a need to promote recruitment inthe group assist in the group formation for a specific purpose or lobbying for somepartners in a development initiative

Frequently Used Communication ApproachesThe approaches presented in this handbook have been grouped into the three maincategories Discussion themes/message design, instructional design and groupmobilization activities design. The rationale for this categorization is the need to grouptogether approaches that follow a similar pattern during the development of thecommunication strategy. There are also other communication approaches, such as

social marketing or adoption of innovations. They all include the use of a number ofspecific communication approaches, which are basically, the ones being presentedhere. If you understand the rationale and the sequence of the process of communicationstrategy design you should be able to adopt a similar approach for all the various. Thevarious approaches are presented within the communication mode they have beengrouped in. Naturally in a communication strategy a number of approaches, and evenmodes, can be used to achieve set objectives. The first of the approaches to bepresented here does not fall in any specific mode.

Participatory Discussion Themes/Message Design

In development, Participatory Discussion Themes and Message Design are concernedwith identifying critical topics, elaborating relevant information and passing certaincontents, either in a one-way manner or through a two-way dialogue mode, in order toaddress a situation which needs to be improved. When developing messages andthemes you should always keep in mind that the participatory element should bepresent as much as possible. The message to be passed on should be identified anddealt with, with the community or the selected group. Ideally you should discuss with the


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community the content, but also the approaches, appeals, media and the way topresent them. If that is not possible you have to make the best of the time you canSpend with the community and then devote extra time and extra attention to the pre-testing phase. The same applies for the discussion themes design. This differs from themessage design in that its aim is not to pass a definite message but rather to create the

basis for discussing a critical issue. Picture codes and cloth flipcharts are often used forthis purpose. As the term suggests discussion themes design aims to developcommunication materials designed to debate certain topics. The aim here is to have thecommunity open up and become aware of certain issues exploring its pros and cons.This can be a very effective way of dealing with issues which, if given as straightforwardmessages, might not be taken into account. When the same issues are presented anddiscussed openly with the community they usually acknowledge and reflect upon manyof the points in question. Moreover being a two-way approach, discussion themes andtools often offer useful insights to help you understand and work towards a solutionOf the problem.In order to effectively understand and use the participatory discussion themes/message

design mode, which you will explore in greater detail in the next chapter, you shouldreview and go through the whole sequence. First, you must assess the focal problems,then define the communication objectives, confirm and review the profile of the PriorityInteraction Groups. Once this has been done you then select the communicationapproaches most suitable for your strategy. If the identified communication approachesinclude information, advocacy, persuasion or promotion, you need to go through thediscussion themes/message design process. You must be familiar with ways of treatingand packaging information that assists in bringing about desired change. Messages areusually concerned with passing information and knowledge necessary for the InteractionGroups to address and solve the problem. Posters, brochures, radio, video, bookletscan be used for the transmission of the intended message. Messages, even whendesigned in a participatory way, remain a one-way communication instrument.Discussion themes on the other hand, are concerned more with bringing up issues to beopenly discussed rather than providing definite answers or passing specific information.They are particularly effective in issues dealing with raising awareness and highlightingattitudes. Illustrated flipcharts and picture codes are some of the communicationmaterials frequently used for this purpose. Analysis of the problems and thecommunication objectives provide relevant inputs into the content of messages.Communication approaches indicate how these messages should be developed. Afteridentifying the approaches you start working on the creative design of messages ordiscussion themes. This is followed by selection of the media to be used based onconsiderations drawn from your field research (e.g. which media are most popular inthat community, which media appears to be more compatible, credible and effective forthat particular culture, group, topic,). Once you select the media and you know what youwant to achieve and why, you may call in a specialist: a creative person to assist you inthe final station of the message design and in the technical aspects of materialproduction. After this the next steps would be the implementation of the field activitiesand related monitoring and evaluation.

Instructional Design


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Communication strategy development should not be limited to the challenge ofdesigning appropriate and effective messages. Not all desired changes can be inducedby messages. Some situations require a more interpersonal intervention. The scope ofthe instructional design mode is that of providing part of the community, or the selectedInteraction Groups, with certain skills or knowledge necessary to address a problem. By

using training or education approaches people have the opportunity of becomingfamiliar with complex issues; of acquiring knowledge and skills useful for improving theirsituation. Education and training are also effective approaches in addressing changes ofattitude. When you decide to adopt the training or educational approach you should useone of the approaches included in the instructional design mode. This requires thespecifications of a set of instructions aimed at successfully imparting a certain level ofknowledge or skills. Usually, development projects entail strong training componentsthat in most cases mean training of field staff. That is training of trainers, i.e.,extensionists or other field workers, to use discussion tools or some other materialsdeveloped in the discussion themes/message design mode. Use of the instructionaldesign could be that of training some members of the community as part of a campaign

team to provide skills about a particular issue beneficial to everybody, how to maintainthe water pump. None of the modes or approaches has to be used exclusively. OnThe contrary, on many occasions you might find it necessary to adopt a combination ofapproaches and methods. The Instructional mode requires that you design the learninginstructions needed to achieve the communication objectives in an effective way. Onceyou have defined the needed specifications you may decide on the need of any mediumto be used and on how the interpersonal approach should be carried out. Finally youneed to indicate the outputs expected.

Group Mobilization Activities DesignThe third broad category that can be adopted in your communication strategy is Group

Mobilization. It is a way of organizing people in groups around specific issues and/orobjectives. The purpose of the group mobilization mode is that of strengthening thepossibilities for successful action, through the uniting of many people with differentbackgrounds but with similar objectives. It includes the following approaches:community mobilization, partnerships/ networking, and group formation. All of theseapproaches try to organize the community, or part of it, in order to address the mainproblem facing the community or group more effectively. Sometimes, for the samepurpose, the community may decide to work towards a common objective with someoutside entities, taken on board as partners. Once one of the approaches in this modehas been selected, it is important to make sure that everybody understands the purposeAnd benefits of such an effort. The group size, rationale and purpose need to be

carefully assessed. According to the situation, there might be a need to promoterecruitment in the group, assist in the group formation for a specific purpose or lobbyingfor some partners in development initiative.

Frequently Used Communication ApproachesThe approaches presented in this handbook have been grouped into the three maincategories: discussion themes/message design, instructional design and groupmobilization activities design. The rationale for this categorization is the need to group


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together approaches that follow a similar pattern during the development of thecommunication strategy. There are also other communication approaches, such associal marketing or adoption of innovations. The various approaches are presentedwithin the communication mode they have been grouped. Naturally in a communicationstrategy a number of approaches, and even modes, can be used to achieve set

objectives. The first of the approaches to be presented here does not fall in any specificmode. Rather, it falls in all of them since it is at the heart of every participatorycommunication approach.

MESSAGE/DISCUSSION THEME DESIGN MODE

Information:This is the treatment and the transmission of data meant to provide objective facts onspecific issues. It differs from other approaches such as promotion, persuasion oreducation in the treatment of data which is transmitted raw without specific addedvalue, such as making it more inviting or appealing or having some instructionalconnotations to treat it as transfer of knowledge. Instances of information approachesare those posters or radio spots that just mention numbers. Every year millions ofpeople die of AIDS, do you know how to avoid being one of them?

Persuasion:This is usually defined as a communicating process aimed at influencing others.Traditionally it has the connotation for being very seldom, if ever, of a participatorynature. Sometimes however it could be used within a participatory strategy if rooted in aparticipatory assessment of the need for such an approach. A persuasive message hasa point of view or desired behavior that the recipient is supposed to adopt in a voluntary,even if rather passive, fashion. In a persuasion approach there is always an element of

mutual fulfillment between the persuader and the one being persuaded, and this is themain difference between persuasion and propaganda. Persuasion attempts to cause achange either in the attitude or behavior of a specific group of people.

Promotion:This is informing to make people aware and familiar, or even accept ideas, concepts orbehavior. By promotion you try to create interest or a favorable impression of an idea orpractice through motivation, image creation and/or positioning. Often promotion impliescalling people to action, entertainment, benefits, relevancy and packaging. Dependingon the situation it can imply either top down or horizontal communication.

Advocacy:This is seeking to generate support of decision-makers, both within and outside thecommunity. Such an approach is usually adopted to create a conducive environmentthat may lead to a policy that is sensitive to the issues in question. It can also bedirected at NGOs, Ministries or international donors in order to start, or obtain funds tostart development initiatives on critical issues. An advocacy approach can be used notonly in a bottom-up mode but also in a horizontal fashion in order to facilitate or set a


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favorable environment, for instance, from NGOs to policy makersor from the latter todecision makers.

INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN MODE

Education:This is to increase knowledge, comprehension and maybe change attitudes, usuallythrough a formal learning environment. Education approaches can be carried out at aninterpersonal individual level (teacher-student situations), at a group level (meetings,specific gatherings, schools.) or at a mass level (publications, radio and television).

Training:This is to impart or increase skills and give opportunity for trial. The training approach issimilar to the education one, but it focuses on practical skills rather than theoreticalknowledge. That is why it usually implies an interpersonal learning environment invenues such as workshops or demonstration sites. Hopefully people will adopt or adapt

the new idea after trial.

GROUP MOBILISATION ACTIVITIES DESIGN MODE

Networking/Partnership:These are attempts to have different groups or associations, within or from outside theCommunity, joining and working together to address, more effectively, specific issues orProblems. Very often communities have problems that cut across different developmentsectors. This means that external facilitators can go into the community focusing on justa single sector, while a number of causes of the problem can be derived from othersectors. Furthermore a single group or association may not have all the resources fortackling a certain community problem, it may be necessary to network with otherorganizations for help. Partnerships need to be built with organizations, both within andoutside the community, to assist the community either in kind or with funds. Even whendealing with a problem involving a single sector it would still be advantageous to havepartnerships of different groups/associations joining together in order for the interventionto carry more weight, thus facilitating the achievement of the common objective.

Group Formation:This consists of encouraging and facilitating the formation of groups of people, usuallywithin them community, having a specific set of tasks aimed at addressing a specificissue. Groups can be formed to deal more effectively with a certain problem, to share

labor required by a complex activity, to provide moral support and legitimize social andtechnological change, to facilitate the duplication of certain knowledge or practices inthe community. Groups are usually advised to form a management committee to carryout a number of tasks, such as calling meetings and prepare the agenda, report aboutactions taken, promote decision-making; follow up the implementation of the activities,etc. This approach, which entails an extra amount of dialogue as its basis, usescommunication to facilitate mutual trust and understanding among people sharing acommon interest or need.


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ConclusionThis is the systematic effort to involve the community in actively taking part in theresolution of a specific development issue, through communication means andmethods. This approach aims at bringing together all the community in order to worktogether to achieve something beneficial for all. Communication approaches give you a

direction to follow in the use of different techniques and media. They provide a purposefor using them (i.e. to promote, to inform, to educate, to form groups). In order to selectan appropriate approach you should consider the project framework, the field findingsand most importantly, the communication objectives. These will give you the roughcontent and themes to be developed which in turn facilitate your task of selecting themost effective approaches in that situation.

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Communication Strategies in Effective Organizations