This online resource provides an outline and information for a 2-day workshop designed for prevention programme administrators, prevention educators, and representatives of voluntary health organisations to build skills in applying health communications and social marketing to alcohol, tobacco, and other drug problem prevention. It presents strategies to determine audience needs, develop accurate and targeted messages and materials, and evaluate results. The focus is on the role of communications strategies in prevention efforts.

The objectives of the resource are for users to learn how to:

• apply social marketing to design a communication programme;
• understand when and how to conduct market research;
• design messages and materials appropriate to audience needs;
• determine quick, easy, and cost-effective ways to pretest materials;
• develop practical steps to evaluate communication programmes; and
• understand why and how to work with intermediaries.

Manuals for the trainer and for participants are provided. The contents include the following.

• Unit A. Introduction and Identification of the Problem
• Unit B. Identifying the Audience and Planning for Evaluation
• Unit C. Selecting Messages, Materials, and Channels
• Unit D. Pretesting
• Unit E. Implementing the Programme

Supplements include an outline of a communications plan and self-assessment checklists.