Skip to main content

Importance of Development Communication in Development Projects

Image
By


Development communication makes use of strategic communication such as mass media, community participation and social marketing to foster behavioral change…




Development Communication (DevCom), according to the Filipino academic Dr. Nora C. Quebral, is “the art and science of human communication applied to the speedy transformation of a country and the mass of its people from poverty to a dynamic state of economic growth that makes possible greater social equality and the larger fulfillment of human potential.”

DevCom is a powerful tool that can boost the success of development projects because it makes use of strategic communication such as mass media, community participation and social marketing to relay information to the target audience and to primarily foster behavioral change that impede development.

Development is a complex process and it takes more than education, awareness and information sharing to foster it. Most often it is vital to seek behavioral change, get rid of long-established attitudes or beliefs that impede development among people. And this can be achieved by understanding the reasons behind people’s actions, beliefs and attitudes, why they do what they are doing, or the barriers that impede them to believe and adopt modern practices.

While it is vital that all stakeholders comprehend the importance of adopting modern uses and practices, key to the success of development projects is to have knowledge of people’s barriers or the costs they perceive such a change would affect them.

Effective development communication techniques mean disseminating information to the target audience, monitoring feedback and replying to it meaningfully, and tweaking the development communication plan according to the response of the target audience. The idea is to build consensus by means of raising public understanding and generating conscious dialogue among the target audience involved and stakeholders.

Well-prepared and professionally implemented communication programs that are tied directly to reforms or development projects with an in-depth understanding of local political, social and cultural realities can make the difference between a project's success and failure.

In conclusion, DevCom is a powerful tool that can increase the chance for development projects or reforms to succeed. DevCom makes use of mass media, social marketing and community participation to foster social change. It is vital however that DevCom strategies should be tailored not only to disseminate information but primarily to increase active participation among the intended people or beneficiaries at the grassroots level.




Web References:

Journalism.University. (2026, February 16). Development Communication: Definitions, Philosophy and Key Features. Journalism. University. https://journalism.university/fundamentals-of-development-and-communication/development-communication-definitions-philosophy-key-features/

SCRIBD. ( n.d.). Understanding Development Communication. SCRIBD.
https://www.scribd.com/document/410936883/Development-Communication-BJMC

University of Calcutta. (n.d.). Development Communication. University of Calcutta. https://www.caluniv.ac.in/academic/JMC/Study/DC.pdf






Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Importance of Communication Models in Communication Campaigns

By
Communication models, approaches and theories are valuable because they are employed as a framework in the design of a communication campaign… Communication models are conceptual models used to explain and describe human communication . Communication models, approaches and theories are the foundation around which communication practitioners build ideas on how to effectively transmit the message they would like to convey to the target audience. Communication models and approaches facilitate the work of communicators because they provide ideas on how individuals react to different types of communication stimulus, and they offer ideas on possible consequences that may result when participants in a communication process employ a communication style or shift to another communication style. Communication models and approaches likewise provide practitioners an idea on how to obtain engagement, collaboration and participation from the target audience in order to achieve communication goals. ...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Social and Economic Effects of Air Pollution in the Philippines

By
Air pollution may be caused by natural or human-made sources. Sources of air pollution may be classified into stationary, mobile and area... Statement of the Issue Air pollution is one of the most pressing challenges that Metro-Manila is facing today. According to the report released by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Environment and Management Bureau (DENR-EMB), the air quality situation in the National Capital Region in the first quarter of 2015 was even worse than that of the end of 2014 (as cited in Metro-Manila’s Air…, 2015). While the maximum safe level of total suspended particulates (TSP) of air pollutant concentration was 90 micrograms per normal cubic meter (ug/NCM), monitoring data revealed that the total TSP reached 130 ug/NCM, higher than the 106 per normal cubic meter recorded at the end of 2014. The World Health Organization 2006 Report showed that, pollution, especially from airborne particulate matter (PM), has serious adverse health effects whic...
Post a Comment
Read more