OPEN COURSE

DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION
(SW5OCT19)

Module 1:Basic Concepts (10 hours)

Communication: Definition, objectives, purpose, evolution, barriers

Communication and Development- Concept of development, Relationship of Development and

Communication

Module 2:Theoretical framework of Development Communication (18 hours)

Dominant and alternate paradigms of development, modernization theory, dependency theory,

globalization theory, diffusion of innovations theory, participatory approaches

Module 3:Communication strategies and development (18 hours)

Communication strategies for rural development – print media, radio, television, community radio,

new mediaCommunication strategies for women’s development and empowerment, health, family

welfare and populationmanagement, ecological conservation and sustainable development

ICT for Development – Indian experiences –satellite instructional television experiment, kheda

communicationproject, Jhabua Development Communication project, telemedicine, e governance

experiments

Module 4:Communication Techniques for Social Work Practice (12 hours)

Group communication techniques - Lectures, forum, brain storming, guided discussion, case study,

role play,demonstration

Mass Media in Social work practice: Exhibition, Cinema, Television, Radio, Print Media, Theatre &

Local or FolkMedia, Information Technology, World Wide Web

Module 5:Skill training: (14 hours)

Public speaking, meetings, conference, seminar, effective written communication, street theatre

Module 1
Communication
The word communication has been derived from the Latin word communis which means
common, besides commonality, communication involves the concept of transfer, meaning
and information transfer. Thus communication means sharing ideas in common to one or
many. It means a verbal or written message, an change of information, a system of
communicating, and a process by which meanings are exchanged between
individuals/groups of individuals through a common system of symbols. It also means
technique for expressing ideas effectively and quickly.

Communication is the process of transferring information, meaning and understanding from

sender to receiver and vice versa. And carrying out that process convincingly, meaningfully
and proficiently is an absolute essential for a manager to exercise leadership efficiently.

Communication is defined as “the process of passing information in oral or written form

and understanding from one person to another in oral or written form.” It means
transmitting and sharing of ideas, opinions, facts, figures and information in a manner that is
perceived and understood by the receiver of the communication.

Process of Communication

The communications involves four actions and five components. The four actions are
encoding, sending, receiving, and decoding. The five components are sender, message,
medium, noise and receiver. The actions and components combine to transfer meaning
from the sender who sends the message to the receiver. The sender who sends message
originates the message by encoding it, that is, by constructing the message. The message is
the content of the communication. The sender then transmits the message through a
medium. A medium is the mode or form of transmission of message, not the message itself.
Examples of media are spoken words, gestures and fiscal expressions video Telephones,
written memos, faxes and e-mail messages. The receiver acquires, or receives, the message
by hearing it, reading it, or having it appear on a fax or computer through e-mail or voice
mail.

The receiver then begins decoding the message, that is, interpreting it using various tools.
Sometimes distractions interfere with the message; these interferences are called noise
which leads to misunderstanding, noise contributes to misinterpretations of the original
message, and it is only through feedback, or verification of the original message, that
communication problems may be located, corrected and understood properly.

The basic model of communication is called as fundamental and universal model. That is, it
occurs whenever communication takes place regardless of the culture or organisation and
location. However, while the basic acts and components of the communication process are
the same everywhere, how the acts are carried out and the nature of the components are
deeply influenced by cultural, organizational, and even personal contexts through this type
of communication. Who can send messages to whom, what kinds and what volumes of
messages are sent, by what medium are messages transmitted what sort of interference or
noise is likely to occur, and what cues are available for decoding are just some of the many
examples of the types of communication issues that can vary from manager to manager,
from organisation to organisation, from media to media and from country to country.

Four Types of Communication

Communication comes in four basic types. Below, we will look at the different types in
depth.

Verbal Communication This mode of communication relies on words to convey a

message. This is the standard method of communicating that most of us use on a
day-to-day basis, though we rarely use it without augmenting it with one of the
other communication types. Other cues people use while communicating verbally
include, tone, gestures, and body language. Verbal communication helps in
expressing thoughts, emotions and sentiments. A phone conversation, chat with a
friend, an announcement made, or a speech delivered are all verbal forms of
communication. For most of us, it comes with ease. As children, we learned verbal
communication through the sounds around us. We soon develop and start
understanding the language which helps us to communicate verbally as we grow
older. Verbal communication is further divided into four subcategories:

1. Intrapersonal Communication This form of communication is extremely

private and restricted to ourselves. It includes the silent conversations we
have with ourselves, wherein we juggle roles between the sender and
receiver who are processing our thoughts and actions. This process of
communication when analyzed can either be conveyed verbally to someone
or stay confined as thoughts.
 2. Interpersonal Communication This form of communication takes place
between two individuals and is thus a one-on-one conversation. Here, the
two individuals involved will swap their roles of sender and receiver in order
to communicate in a clearer manner.

3. Small Group Communication This type of communication can take place only
when there are more than two people involved. Here the number of people
will be small enough to allow each participant to interact and converse with
the rest. Press conferences, board meetings, and team meetings are
examples of group communication. Unless a specific issue is being discussed,
small group discussions can become chaotic and difficult to interpret by
everybody. This lag in understanding information completely can result in
miscommunication.

4. Public Communication This type of communication takes place when one

individual addresses a large gathering of people. Election campaigns and
public speeches are example of this type of communication. In such cases,
there is usually a single sender of information and several receivers who are
being addressed.

Non Verbal Communication Non-verbal communication is a process of

communication without using words or sounds. Non-verbal communication uses
gestures, body language, facial expressions, eye contact, clothing, tone of voice, and
other cues to convey a message. Like verbal communication, this method of
communicating is rarely used alone. Non-verbal communication could be considered
like a spice we use when communicating to add a little flavor. You might raise your
eyebrows emphatically when speaking to help make a point, or shake your finger at
your child when you’re angry. These are all non-verbal cues that help convey a
message.

Written Communication Written communication is the medium through which the

message of the sender is conveyed with the help of written words. Letters, personal
journals, e-mails, reports, articles, and memos are some forms of written
communication. Unlike some other forms of communication, written messages can
be edited and rectified before they are sent to the receiver, thereby making written
communication an indispensable part of informal and formal communication. This
form of communication encapsulates features of visual communication as well,
especially when the messages are conveyed through electronic devices such as
laptops, phones, and visual presentations that involve the use of text or words.
 Visual Communication This form of communication involves the visual display of
information, wherein the message is understood or expressed with the help of visual
aids. For example, topography, photography, signs, symbols, maps, colors, posters,
banners and designs help the viewer understand the message visually. Movies and
plays, television shows and video clips are all electronic form of visual
communication. Visual communication also involves the transfer of information in
the form of text, which is received through an electronic medium such as a
computer, phone, etc. Icons and emoticons are a form of visual communication.
When these icons are used in a public place, phone or computer, they instruct the
user about their meaning and usage. One of the greatest examples of visual
communication is the internet, which communicates with the masses using a
combination of text, design, links, images, and color. All of these visual features
require us to view the screen in order to understand the message being conveyed.
Media communication is developing at a meteoric rate in order to ensure clarity and
to eliminate any ambiguity. The aforementioned four types of communication have
played a vital role and continue to do so, in bridging the gap between people,
commerce, education, health care, and entertainment. There are many reasons why
interpersonal communications may fail. In many communications, the message may
not be received exactly the way the sender intended and hence it is important that
the

Objectives of Communication

1. To develop information and understanding among all workers in the organisation.

2. To foster any attitude which is necessary for motivation and cooperation in the
organization.

3. To encourage better performance and job satisfaction in the organization.

4. To prepare workers in the organization for a change in methods or environment by giving

them the necessary information in advance.

5. To discourage misinformation, ambiguity and rumours in the organisation.

6. To encourage subordinates in the organisation to supply ideas and suggestions for

improving upon the product or work environment, and taking these suggestions seriously.

7. To improve labour-management relations in the organization.

8. To encourage social relations among workers in the organisation by encouraging into

communication.

9. To accomplish all the basic management functions— Planning, Organizing,

Leading/directing and controlling in the organization.

10. To achieve their goals and meet challenges in the organization.

Categories of Communication

Spoken or Verbal Communication, which includes face-to-face, telephone, radio or

television and other media.

Non-Verbal Communication, covering body language, gestures, how we dress or act, where
we stand, and even our scent. There are many subtle ways that we communicate (perhaps
even unintentionally) with others. For example, the tone of voice can give clues to mood or
emotional state, whilst hand signals or gestures can add to a spoken message.

Written Communication: This includes letters, e-mails, social media, books, magazines, the
Internet and other media. Until recent times, a relatively small number of writers and
publishers were very powerful when it came to communicating the written word. Today, we
can all write and publish our ideas online, which have led to an explosion of information and
communication possibilities.

PURPOSE OF COMMUNICATION
purpose can be generally divided in three potential goals: share information, change
beliefs or change behaviour.

 Share information

The simplest form of risk/benefit communication has the goal of just putting the
information out there. Openness and transparency require a commitment to publishing risk
and benefit assessments so that all key audiences have an opportunity to access scientific
outputs. Minutes of meetings, papers presented at key meetings and other material need to
be made available on a website to build awareness, understanding, trust and confidence.

 Change beliefs

A more ambitious goal for risk/benefit communication is to change what people know and
believe. Sometimes, a health behaviour is right for everyone, but often this is not
completely sure. In this case, it is especially important to share risk and benefit information
to allow people to make their own informed decisions. One challenge is that not all people
wish to make decisions about issues or be informed of the various risks and benefits. For
this reason, people routinely make mental shortcuts to make decisions easier.

 Change behaviour

A third step in food risk/benefit information is to change people’s behaviour. The primary
goal so for people to act. Changing behaviour as a goal for risk communication requires that
we know what the best course of action is. And if changing behaviour is the goal,
communication may not be the only or best solution. Public health successes often rely on
policy changes like the strict rules related to functional foods or increasing taxes on
unhealthy food.
Other purposes are:
 Creating awareness,
 Educating,
 Changing knowledge,
 Influencing perceptions, attitudes and beliefs,
 Promoting action and changing behaviour.

The Evolution Of Communication Through The Centuries

Communication is very important. It is a key to understanding between people. Through the
years, communication has evolved. The way people communicate with each other today is
entirely different from the prehistoric era. Before, communicating is limited to interpersonal
interaction – person to person. Until it evolved to alphabets, signs and symbols, letters, and
telephone. Today, the Internet era has paved the way to innumerable means of
communication.
Technology has indeed redefined communication. People no longer have to wait for years,
months, weeks, and days to receive an information or message. Today, texts, e-mails,
tweets, and personal messages can reach the recipient in just a matter of seconds.

 Cave Paintings

The oldest form of symbols used for communication is cave paintings. According to
theorists, cave paintings were created to mark a territory or to record events. The oldest
cave painting was discovered inside Chauvet Cave in France around 30,000 B.C. Other
earliest cave paintings were found in South Sulawesi, Indonesia and Coliboaia Cave in
Romania.

 Symbols

Our early ancestors have used different variations of signs and symbols to communicate.
Around 10,000 B.C., petroglyphs were created. They were carvings in the rock surface,
usually referred to as a rock art. In 9,000 B.C., pictograms were developed in which ancient
people logographic images to tell a story. Later on, ancient cultures developed ideograms.
Egyptians had their hieroglyphs. Chinse created characters. Lastly, the alphabet, which
redefined language and communication, was developed around 2,000 B.C.

 Smoke Signals

Apart from letters and symbols, ancient people also rely on elements to communicate.
Smoke signals were primarily used in sending messages in China. In 200 B.C., guards execute
smoke signals to send messages along The Great Wall of China. In 150 B.C., Greek Historian
Polybius developed smoke signals representing the alphabet.

 Carrier Pigeons

As we all know, pigeons are naturally great with directions. Over 2,000 years ago, the
ancient Romans used pigeons as primary messengers between military men. In the 12th
century, messenger pigeons were widely used. According to Naval chaplain Henry Teonge,
merchants used pigeons as a “postal” service. They also played a vital role in World Wars I
and II.
  Postal System

During the ancient period, Egyptians used courier serve to send out decrees in 2,400 B.C.
Until now, a piece of mail which dates back to 255 B.C. is still preserved. Postal systems
were also organized in Persia, China, India, and Rome before. On the other hand, it was only
in 1653 when Frenchman De Valayer started a postal system in Paris which involved the use
of mailboxes and delivery of paid envelopes.
 Newspaper

In 1440, German Johannes Gutenberg developed the printing press system which radically
changed communication forever. With this, the newspaper began to flourish in the 16th
century. The German-language publication of Johann Carolus in Strasbourg in 1605 was the
first newspaper. The first English-language newspaper was published in Amsterdam in 1620.

 Radio

After print media flourished, radio followed. In the 1830s, various scientists, such as
Maxwell and Hughes studied on wireless telegraphy which developed the theory of
electromagnetism. In 1888, Heinrich Rudolf Hertz discovered “Hertzian waves”, named after
him. In 1893, Tesla started using wireless power as a form of transmitting content. In the
early 20th century, radio broadcasting began.

 Telegraph

Telegraph communication started after Samuel Morse invented the Morse code which
encoded the ISO basic Latin alphabet. The Morse code transmitted messages through series
of clicks, tones, and lights. In 1830, Morse integrated the Morse code in telegraphy
technology that revolutionized the long-distance communication. In 1844, Morse sent his
first telegraph message.
 Telephone

The telegraphy was immediately replaced by the telephone. It was invented by Scottish
Alexander Graham Bell in 1876. The telephone acts is a telecommunication device that
converts human audio signals to electronic signals which are transmitted via cables. It was
further developed to commercially cater to local and long distant calls. In the 1900s,
landline telephone service began. Up until now, the telephone remained one of the most
reliable telecommunication devices.
  Television

Along with telephones, television started to become a mode of indirect communication to

the mass audience. The television was not just invented by a single person, but developed
through the efforts of various brilliant people. The earliest records of TV broadcasting
occurred after the World War II, in which the display was still black and white. Now, more
than 1.5 billion households in the world own a television.
 Internet

After the creation of computers in the 1950s, the ARPANET, which was the early
predecessor of the internet was developed. The ARPANET was designed to manage
communication between ARPA computer terminals in the 1960s. The term “internet” first
emerged in 1973. The first internet service provider was the Telenet. In 1983, the domain
system started. In 1991, Tim Berners-Lee, a scientist at CERN, introduced the World Wide
Web (www) which definitely started the modern internet.
 E-mail

With the onset of the internet, electronic mails started to become popular. Although emails
came before the ARPANET, however, it was “offline”. In 1975, John Vittal developed a
software to organize emails. From that time, 75% of ARPANET traffic was email. In 1994,
Yahoo! was born. It was followed by other mailing platforms, including Hotmail and Google
Mail.

 Text Message

The first official SMS messaging took place on December 3, 1992, when Neil Pap worth, an
engineer from Sema Group (now Air wide Solutions) used a computer to send “Merry
Christmas” through the Vodafone network. In 1994, the Radiolinja was the first network
service provider to carry out person-to-person text messaging. Now, SMS has evolved in
which over 9 trillion SMS are sent every year.

 Social Media

The latest mode of communication in the digital era is the use of social media platforms. It
has become more available because of the proliferation of smartphones where social media
apps can easily be installed. In 2004, Facebook was created by Mark Zuckerberg. Today, the
Messenger is one of the most widely used messaging apps. There are more than two billion
Facebook users worldwide. In 2005, YouTube became the first-ever popular video hosting
social media site. In 2006, Twitter began to dominate the social media scene. Other social
media platforms have followed.
 Indeed, communication has gone through a lot of stages before it
became so convenient and efficient today. Thus, our role is to use these communication
tools responsibly and in the right way.

Communication Barriers
There are many reasons why interpersonal communications may fail. In
many communications, the message may not be received exactly the way the sender
intended and hence it is important that the communicator seeks feedback to check that
their message is clearly understood. The skills of Active Listening, Clarification and
Reflection, which we will discuss shortly, may help but the skilled communicator also needs
to be aware of the barriers to effective communication. There exist many barriers to
communication and these may occur at any stage in the communication process. Barriers
may lead to your message becoming distorted and you therefore risk wasting both time
and/or money by causing confusion and misunderstanding. Effective communication
involves overcoming these barriers and conveying a clear and concise message.

Some common barriers to effective communication include:

 The use of jargon. Over-complicated or unfamiliar terms.

 Emotional barriers and taboos.
 Lack of attention, interest, distractions, or irrelevance to the receiver.
 Differences in perception and viewpoint.
 Physical disabilities such as hearing problems or speech difficulties.
 Physical barriers to non-verbal communication.
 Language differences and the difficulty in understanding unfamiliar accents.
 Expectations and prejudices which may lead to false assumptions or stereotyping.
People often hear what they expect to hear rather than what is actually said and
jump to incorrect conclusions.
 Cultural differences. The norms of social interaction vary greatly in different cultures,
as do the way in which emotions are expressed. For example, the concept of
personal space varies between cultures and between different social settings.

A skilled communicator must be aware of these barriers and try to reduce their impact by
continually checking understanding and by offering appropriate feedback.

Barriers to Communication by Category

 Language Barriers

Clearly, language and linguistic ability may act as a barrier to

communication. However, even when communicating in the same language, the
terminology used in a message may act as a barrier if it is not fully understood by the
 receiver(s). For example, a message that includes a lot of specialist jargon and
abbreviations will not be understood by a receiver who is not familiar with the
terminology used. As nurses, we are especially prone to making this mistake. We
must remember to use language that can be understood by the receiver.

 Psychological Barriers

The psychological state of the receiver will influence how the message is
received. For example, if someone has personal worries and is stressed, they may be
preoccupied by personal concerns and not as receptive to the message as if they
were not stressed. Stress management is an important personal skill that affects our
interpersonal relationships. Anger is another example of a psychological barrier to
communication. When we are angry it is easy to say things that we may later regret
and also to misinterpret what others are saying. More generally, people with low
self-esteem may be less assertive and therefore may not feel comfortable
communicating - they may feel shy about saying how they really feel, or read
negative sub-texts into messages they hear.

 Physiological Barriers

Physiological barriers may result from the receiver’s physical state.

For example, a receiver with reduced hearing may not grasp the entirety of a spoken
conversation, especially if there is significant background noise.

 Physical Barriers

An example of a physical barrier to communication is

geographic distance between the sender and receiver(s). Communication is generally
easier over shorter distances as more communication channels are available and less
technology is required. Although modern technology often serves to reduce the
impact of physical barriers, the advantages and disadvantages of each
communication channel should be understood so that an appropriate channel can be
used to overcome the physical barriers.

 Attitudinal Barriers

Attitudinal barriers are behaviours or perceptions that prevent

people from communicating effectively. Attitudinal barriers to communication may
result from personality conflicts, poor management, resistance to change, or a lack
of motivation. Effective receivers of messages should attempt to overcome their own
attitudinal barriers to facilitate effective communication.

Overcoming Barriers
Most of the above mentioned barriers can be overcome by the skilled
communicator. Obviously, bridging gaps in geography and communicating through
disabilities are a topic for a different discussion. Below, we will look at some tools that can
be used to bridge barriers in everyday communications.
  Active Listening : Active listening is a skill that can be acquired and developed with
practice. However, this skill can be difficult to master and will, therefore, take time
and patience. 'Active listening' means, as its name suggests, actively listening. That is
fully concentrating on what is being said rather than just ‘hearing’ the message of
the speaker. Active listening involves listening with all senses. As well as giving full
attention to the speaker, it is important that the ‘active listener’ is also ‘seen’ to be
listening - otherwise the speaker may conclude that what they are talking about is
uninteresting to the listener. By providing this 'feedback' the person speaking will
usually feel more at ease and therefore communicate more easily, openly and
honestly. There are both verbal and non-verbal cues that convey active listening.
Non-verbal signs include smiling (if appropriate), making eye contact, nodding at
appropriate times, and avoiding distractions. Theses non-verbal cues convey the
message that you are interested in what the speaker has to say, and that your
attention is fully invested. Offering verbal signs of active listening can also be useful.
Reflecting on something the speaker has said by asking a clarifying question is a
terrific way to do this. Paraphrasing involves finding slightly different words to repeat
the main idea of the speaker, and is also great way to show active listening.

 Use Simple Language : It’s important to remember the audience that you’re
speaking to, and use language that can be easily understood. Avoid using medical
terminology or jargon when speaking to clients and their families. People are often
intimidated by such language, and can be afraid to admit that they don’t understand
the message being delivered. An important tool to use when speaking is to pause
occasionally and ask questions to ensure that your message is being understood as
intended. You may also allow the listener to ask questions to clarify any points.

 Give Constructive Feedback : Remember that feedback was part of the

communication chain we looked at on the first page. While the feedback that you
give the speaker/sender may occasionally be negative, it is important that it be
constructive in nature. The intent of the feedback should be to further the abilities of
the speaker. This will strengthen the interpersonal relationship, and enhance future
communications.

DEVELOPMENT

Development is a process that creates growth, progress, positive change or the addition of
physical, economic, environmental, social and demographic components. The purpose of
development is a rise in the level and quality of life of the population, and the creation or
expansion of local regional income and employment opportunities, without damaging the
resources of the environment. Development is visible and useful, not necessarily
immediately, and includes an aspect of quality change and the creation of conditions for a
continuation of that change.
DEVELOPMENT COMMUNICATION

Development communication refers to the use of communication to facilitate

social development. Development communication techniques include information
dissemination and education, behaviour change, social marketing, social mobilization, media
advocacy, communication for social change and community participation. Erskine Childers
defined it as development support communications which is a discipline
in development planning and implementation in which more adequate account is taken of
human behavioural factors in the design of development projects and their objectives.

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DEVELOPMENT AND COMMUNICATION

Basically, communication is a social process that produces changes in the knowledge,

attitudes and behaviours of individuals, and groups, through providing factual and technical
information, through motivational or persuasive messages, and through facilitating the
learning process and social environment. These results might then lead to increase in the
mastery of crucial skills by the individual, and to enhancing the achievement of various
instrumental goals. Other possible consequences of communication include enhancement in
self-esteem and wellbeing through participation in community and social life, increasing the
individual’s perceived efficacy in dealing with other people, reinforcing mutual respect and
enhancing confidence among social groups and building trust within communities. These
outcomes are the ingredients that contribute to the creation of those positive individual,
community and societal changes that together are often referred to as development.
Communication can thus positively influence development.

But using communication for development means different things to different people. It has
even been viewed differently in different eras, considered variously as social
engineering or giving voice to the voiceless. Both as idea and as practice, the relationship of
communication to development has been problematic, as it has raised many questions. Can
we show that communication has a place in the development process? What kind of
communication has what kind of effect on what aspects of development? The questions are
intriguing and intractable. Often the gains from communication become apparent only
when something goes wrong in society.

Although the relationships are not clearly established, the Human Development Index, HDI,
shows marked differences in the communication profiles of countries of high, medium and
low human development. The indicators generally employed in the HDI are mostly
infrastructural and technological, e.g. access to: radio; television; book titles published; post
offices; main telephone lines; fax machines; mobile cellular telephone subscribers, Internet
users, personal computers. It is probably the case that the opportunities that these channels
provide for carrying information and messages and for allowing multiple social interactions,
that drive social progress, are a crucial contribution to the level of socio-economic
development of societies. Yet even if communication is only a necessary and not a sufficient
ingredient for development, that potential contribution has provided a motive for
continuing to search for more effective ways of relating communication processes with
development processes, and for justifying investments in information and communication
ideas and practices. That is why a policy approach is needed to support the integration of
information and communication thinking and practice into national development and
governance plans.