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Channels of Communication
Summary
Communication
for Polio Eradication and Routine Immunisation
Checklists and Easy Reference Guides
MESSAGES AND MEDIA
16. Channels of Communication
1. Mass Media
Examples:
- Radio
- Television
- Newspapers
- Booklets
- Posters
- Flyers/leaflets
- Loud speakerannouncements
- Miking
- Videos/Films
- Press kits
- Media guides
- Town criers
- Gong gong beater
| Typical Materials |
Typical Formats |
- Development and use of logos, leaders' statements
- National addresses by presidents and other high-level officials
- Publicity for NIDs by celebrities, including goodwill ambassadors
- Press conferences
- Newspaper editorials
- Public advertising: calendars; banners; billboards
- Promotional materials: t-shirts, hats, banners, bags, and pens
- Announcements via megaphones, microphones, loud speakers
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- Different radio/TV formats (interviews, success stories/footage from countries, phone-in questions or reports from the field, talk shows, guest of the week, press conferences, panel discussions; advertisements)
- Broadcasting/posting of basic information on NIDs (what, when, who, why)
- News coverage of NIDs preparations and implementation
- Interviews with leaders, satisfied caretakers, and experts
- Public service announcements, spot announcements, on-location promotion/ announcements
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| Often good for: |
Not usually good for: |
- Creating general awareness
- Giving the basic facts
- Giving information a sense of importance and legitimacy
- Popularizing and reinforcing messages
- Creating a bandwagon effect that can encourage & pressure people to join in
- Providing time-sensitive information (when, where, who is eligible)
- Creating a festive atmosphere, reinforcing information, identifying vaccination teams
- Giving short, key messages on schedules, dates, location, basic information (local language posters).
- Reaching many people simultaneously
- Reaching rural communities (local radio)
- Reaching health workers and urban and peri-urban audiences (radio and TV)
- Reaching elites (including politicians and decision-makers) and middle class and their household help (gardeners, housekeepers, nannies)
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- Facilitating interaction with audiences
- Giving detailed explanations
- Responding to individual questions or concerns
- Providing appropriate messages for people in a variety of circumstances and with different levels of intention to act
- Being understood by all members of the audience (dialect, vocabulary, and/or images)
- Saving expenditures (mass media is expensive to produce, and broadcast time may be a huge expense; posters are logistically difficult to distribute in timely way and are not always seen by many of the intended audience).
- Reaching key groups (the illiterate, those without radio access, etc.)
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2. Interpersonal Communication
Interpersonal communication can be very effective in influencing and reinforcing positive behavior change but requires thorough advance planning, particularly of logistics (e.g. to determine if additional mobilizers/volunteers, food and/or per diems for team members, or training are needed).
A. Group Channels
Examples:
- Group discussions
- Seminars/workshops
- Religious services
- Meetings
- Performances
- Celebrations
| Typical Materials |
Typical Formats |
- Slides, film strips
- Announcements in places of worship, rallies and processions
- Fact books and program briefs to stimulate questions and discussion
- Role plays
- Demonstrations
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- Public meetings
- Religious events
- Traditional ceremonies
- Sports events
- Exhibitions, fairs
- Traveling/community theatre
- Traditional music and dance performances
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| Often good for: |
Not usually good for: |
- Facilitating interaction and allowing people to share ideas
- Explaining details and responding to questions and doubts
- Legitimizing messages and building consensus;
- Providing support for changing attitudes and behavior and maintenance of new behavior
- Addressing rumours and misinformation
- Using audience members as guides/key mobilizers
- Reaching places where people may not have heard about immunisation activities (mobilizers with megaphones)
- Using local languages
- Improving trust and demand for health services (if health workers with good attitudes serve as communicators).
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- Ensuring uniform message content
- Responding to questions of a personal nature
- Encouraging the active participation of certain groups such as minorities
- Encouraging use of public-sector health services (if health workers have bad attitudes).
- Reaching large sections of the population at the same time
- Reaching those people who won't actively participate or ask questions
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B. One-on-One Counseling or Discussion
| Typical Materials |
Typical Formats: |
- Counseling cards
- Pocket fact books
- Stories and examples
- Pictorial booklets and pamphlets used for teaching and given to target audiences to take away
- Photographs used to stimulate discussion.
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- Visits and discussions with key allies
- Lobbying and telephone contact with individual allies;
- Use of ICC members to lobby for the program
- Inviting national or international experts to confer with national leaders
- Counseling at health facilities
- Discussions with family members during home visits¨ Child-to-parent educational activities
- Hotline telephone contact to report AFP
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| Often good for: |
Not usually good for: |
- Supporting behavior change (addressing obstacles and doubts and motivating/ persuading)
- Legitimizing, reinforcing and sustaining new knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors.
- Responding to questions and needs of a personal nature
- Identifying and filling information gaps
- Being flexible to individual schedules and needs
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- Reaching many people quickly, without extensive planning and training of many staff or volunteers, followed by good monitoring and supervision
- Providing clear information or messages if communicators are not well trained and oriented
- Preventing communicators' biases from entering communication.
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Source: Adapted from "Communication Handbook for Polio Eradication and Routine EPI", Annexes Two and Three.
Placed on the Communication Initiative site November 08 2001
Last Updated November 08 2001
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