From the introduction:

"The Participation Guide presents a simple set of guidelines to design and implement participatory health and development communication programs. ... [It] provides ...tips and tools to involve affected individuals and groups in the various stages of health and development communication programs. This Guide provides examples of how to include those most marginalized that a health or development communication program is meant to empower. These people could include low-income women of reproductive age, youth, orphans and vulnerable children, people living with HIV/AIDS (PLHA), or staff from organizations working with affected individuals or groups. The Guide’s intended audience includes program officers, program staff, and development practitioners interested in effectively involving those directly concerned in the health and development communication programs they support."

This reference tool, a companion to the Health Communication Partnership’s (HCP) new P-Process, is a step-by-step guide for the five stages of strategic communication:

Stage 1 Analysis
Stage 2 Strategic Design
Stage 3 Development & Testing
Stage 4 Implementation & Monitoring
Stage 5 Evaluation & Replanning

The guide begins with some commonly asked questions. For example, in response to the question: "What is participation?", the guide includes a diagram illustrating strategies for increasing participation - from the entry-level step of attending programme activities, through 8 levels, including: being consulted on a programme, selecting leaders and resource people, setting objectives, initiating new activities, and advocating for policy and macro changes. It addresses participation in each specific stage in two ways: for those directly affected and for other key stakeholders. It gives general guidelines for involving those affected, e.g., "strive for gender balance"; discusses how to deal with potential resistance, including government resistance; and adds notes on capacity building and a list of questions to ask at every stage of a participatory process.

In the second section, the guide gives a description of each stage along with steps for involving affected groups or individuals. For example, Stage I, Analysis includes involving affected individuals or groups, a case study from Namibia, a participatory assessment tool, and facilitation tips. The document concludes with a resource list.