Group Media

. Group media are another classof media: They are primarily usedwith small-group audiences.

'. Either traditlonal or introduced media can beusedinsmallgroup setting, but the term means that the media is adapted and Intended forthat setting. Dramas, flip-charts and panel discussions are typically used as' group media. A lecally-produced video cassette may 'be used as a group medium. One couldeven use a television program thatis broadcast via satellite, though this would be rathermore difficult.

Groupmediacan often be produced locally and at10",cost. The localpeople should be involved in produc-tion or take someresponsibility for it. .Easy accessforthe audience andlow costshelp to explain whatis . meant by the term"groupmedia".

The

Bes.t

Media

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Which mediaare best for your situation? Inorderto'choose the bestinediaforyourwork, we suggestthat you ask yourself these five questions:

1. Whitt kind of mediaell)mymessages need?

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Lookat your message and decide which element is required. If you wantto teach a song to people who

7

*-caanot.read, a written text or pictures (visual elements) would not be helpful. Practising the song a number oftimes or listening to it on a cassette (retentive elements) would be a better.cltoice'of media.

Your message may be more complex" for example, explaining the duties of a member in a cooperative socie,ty.):jouiltlay find thatyouneed to convey much information-and that you needa visual element to expbtinit;,plUs something to help-peopleremember. Then-it.may.be.best tuselect'accrnbination of media whiohwillprovide more communicative elements.

2. Do the media permit popular participation?

·Some information, ljJq'),!l0vemmentproclamations, originates at a central place. Media such as radioor newspapers are well suited for this type of message, because,it is carried from one place to many places, whether or not people take in the information.

But since our aim in development communications is to have a high degree, of popular participation, we

llSIl~UY,cannot produce messages centrally. We must communicate locally, with programs used and con-trolled by the people.

Tr~dit~onalmedia areall.well suited for participation, as are someintroduced media, such asflip-charts, puppets, games, posters', cassette programs and rural news letters.'

3. What.are the local resources? .'

Some of the introduced media require electrical power, which israrely available in rural Africa; Even-in many African cities, electricity may be erratic. Thus, battery-operated equipment may be the only choice.

But in somearease~enbatteries are difficult to obtain. You.way have to select other media which do not use electric power, or limit your use of them to times and places that electricity is available.

Availability of other resources .shouldbe assessed in the same way.

A, Can the media programs be produced locally?

There are many advantages to locally-produced programs:

• The medium can be adapted to the message.

, • End product is inthelo<;allanguage~

• Program is mbre

likelY)i6i3ei:t11c~~~tandable.

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• Programs offer people the chance to recognize themselves and their own situation, and to make personal applications more easily... ' " "

." People have control over the'~~.ptentsof the media programs,

" ' . '•. > •

5. How much money.maintenance and technology are involved?

Many introduced or modern media are expensive. They mayalso need maintenance, technical expertise and

supplies. '

Before selecting any such media, it is wise to learn what is required andwhat are the costs.

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3.6.4. _Co~biningMessageand Media

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To combine the message and the media, it may beIlecessary to separate themessag~ intodiffere~tpans for a good presentation.iWhat al'e'these different

piUtS

of themessage? They will vary, of course.depending on what we have decided to say.

. Here'iscme example. First, there might

be

astorywhichrelates acentralissueof the message. Next, we ., might wantto give an illustration of the message. Then in order to'Show clearly whatis mOStfID.pbrt,ant, we

might prepare a brieflesson on the essential information. Finally, we would probably have

a

summary that will helppeople remember the main points.

Earlierwe mentioned several things toconsiderinchoosing media, suchas their different strengths. Now is 'llie time toremenibCfthese strengths and to work the rightonesintothep~sentation; •Also, remember /

'which media are available in your area andsuitable toa particular message. . . , . ^.!

MediaPractise

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.Since the media

progt~s

have been produce<!, they may seem ready to use. But practiceisadvisablefirst.

Its purpose is for all participants to learn how to use the media properly andeffectively.

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, There are usually several things to learn. Forexample, someone. who presents a cassette program qlHst know:

•. how to operate the cassette player, load the cassette, start the motor, adjust the voluflte . • how.to arrange the setting and where to piace

them~lline

so people can. hear well ...

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• howtouse the program so as to encourage participants to take an activepartin discussion and decision making.

Thesame applies to all media, both bitrodl1ced and traditional. We are not onlyspeaking about theoperat-ing skills required with modem equipment. The social arrangements whlchgo.withtradltional media may actually require more training, if these media

are

to be used well in development communications. All media should be practiced with help from experienced users.

Field Testing,Evaluation and Presentation' ^{'-'-,', ,}

Before a media program receives final approval, it mustbefield tested. Field testing means thatthe pro-gram.is presented to a g(OUP as much like the final audience as possible.

Ifa program is intended for a rural population, this testpresentation ought to take place in a village.iThe testgroup's reaction to the program is then evaluated.^Insome cases, this Will mean that different parts of the program, for example, the pictures, mustbecheeked separately for understanding.

'l"llefj,i;:ld testing andeyalWltion is intended to show whether or not:

1. The message reached the target group viathe media program.

24

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2.. Thetarget group paid attention to the program.

3. The target grouppamciParediduring the program.

4. The target group understood the message.

5. Thetargetgroup remembered the message.

Field testing willusually reveal weaknessesinthe program, but since these have been discoverd beferetlie finalpresentation.changescan still be made. We canimprove what we have chosen to say and how we havecllosen to sayit. ,This means going back to,"message development" and"media selection", if neces-sary. We may also have to spend inore time practicing.

As always in the process of good communication, changes arediscussed withparticipall.ts and theliirtiple"

mentedwith them as well.

3.6:5. Production and

Use of

Certain Media

Drama

Dramafocusesthe mterestof the participants ona specific topic andisa medium WithitSown~nter'iain:;/'

ment value. . ' , . .

Inprodiictiol1w~rkshops,a specific group maybe'given responsibility for preparing an appropriate'dtafu~.

Asbackgtound, they would norii:lally need message contentwhich had been developed earlierm the

wotk-'shop. ' " ,; ,

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Thegroup begins by discussing a possible plotor story. It helpsifthey have a meeting placewhere they"

can act outtheir ideas, As soonas some characters have been named, members of the group are selected to fillihe"roles. Astheytry out their parts, the story evolves into a drama. Mter eachrun-through, some changes are made and the drama is repeated andevaluated. Substantial changes to the storymay be made.' The drama groupcontinues to develop its program andrepeats it several times during the workSh9P and perhaps lateriI1otherkinds of meetings. Itis then ready to be performed before a small groupas a field test.

,Finally, it is ready to present toalocalvillage or other community. During the performance, the public may be asked to participate,ifthey wish, andthen invited to take part in a discussion afterwards. '

',':

Here aresome guidelines for using drama in this way.

• A drama.Jike a good story, must'be bothentertalnment and interesting: It should make people laugh, cry,

or do both. ' ^{' y}

• It should not attempt to teach many things butrather one main thing.

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• A drama can raise sensitive issues forexample, traditional taboos or discrimination, evenissues thatyou cannot normally mention.

25

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• A drama should be short; ten to fifteen minutes is a reasonable length of time.

• A drama should be perfortned in an open place where everyone can watch.'

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ideal spot is in'therhiddle of an area where people can sit down. Let people come near you. Ifthey feel like participating in the drama or commenting about it, they should be allowed to do so: . . " . ..

• When a drama group is organized, it is important that it has a dynamicleader, Tryto ideniifysuch persons.

Songs_'.

;..'

Songs are one of the most important media fof many peoplevSongs and singing are partofeverydaylife, part of work and part Of special occassionslike feasts, .Intrib

ar

communities; sougs may serve both

to;

narrate the history of the group and to laud or ridicule its members, Songs express and help form attitudes, maintaining the norms.ofth~ ~ociety,

As with story telling, each ethnic group has its own peculiarities, so it is important to study the songs of the group you are working with. Since a song is an expression ofa particularc~lture,it is difficult to ((reate successful songs with groups composed of people from different culturalbackgrounds. . .

In most cases, development-related songs are produced at workshops. The words of these songs should be short and easy to remember, so that they only tell the most important part of a particular development message.' This way,

a

song wlll'more readily help people toretainandrecall that message.

When a group is preparing a song, one or more of its members may be.capabel of leading the singing...If not, the group' may want to bring in someone who is considered to be a good singer. Ineither case, the' ' group begins by talking aboutthe message and about amelody-thaicould be USed..Anexisting melody may work, it may be altered to fit the song they make up, or they may compose a new one.

One person takes the lead in testingsom words with the melody. Wh~n that person gets stuck, another takes over and the creation of a song is underway. Each time a line is completed, the song is repeated from the beginning.

By

the time the song is complete, all participants will have learnedIt: Itis practiced a few more

times.and is thenreadyto be field tested." . .

When songs are presented it is common for the audience to immediately try and join in. Also, since songs often go with dancing, the' group and its audience may actually dance as well as sing.

-Songs do not alw~yshave to be producedliY'ii'group.They canalso be created by a singerfromthe com-munity, and then taughtto others. This

is

^also

a

good exercisein communication, since the learning of a . song makes for good participation if the song is good. The best song have a text that is easy to learn.

A women's group held.a workshop on nutrition for children. Some of the participants were to prepare a Song and decided tomake up a lullaby, Hereisa translation:

Baby. my baby, what do you want?

Banana, or guava, or avocado you want? . They are good for you ...

26

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· ; i .Or.meat, or groundnuts, or fish, or egg$?

. They are good for you.

Baby, my baby ,I know you are sick.

You want me to take you to the clinic?·

Itill.igoodfor yon.., ButI cannot take you;

Your father has no money left. .:

Demonstrations

A demonstration program-can also bedeveloped during a workshop. Participants first study technical questions, for example, how to prepare a water filter. They note which ideas need to be-stressed, Theil, the main parts of the demonstration.lesson are drafted, the necessary .materialsand tools gathered.flocally available,ifpossible), and a full demonstration lessonis practiced by all participants. The lesson. is criti- . cizedand improved before itis.actuallyused. Here are some helpful guidelines for working with this medium:

• Check before the lesson that you have all thematerial and tools you need.

• Place yourself near the people, so that they can see what you are demonstrating." .

•,While you are doing the demonstration, keeptalking and explaining what you are doing.

• Watch to see if people understand, and be prepared to stoP.andexplafnfurther as needed-.After field testing, the demonstration will be taken out to the people in a village. During the demonstration, the people are invited to participate in the action and to ask question and discuss. ' .

Flipcharts

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Tbj$;flipc.b~t.canb~li911ed llR andcarried easily. It can. also bepacked for transport. ,A stick can always be found to hold theflipchart, or in case of strong wind, it can be held againstthebody. ' .

To produce your flipcharts, here are some practical guide lines:

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("-o When you have decided what you wantto illustrate on the flipchart, you begin to sketchthe drawings.

o Try to limit the number of pictures. Five to seven is about all you will need. One picturecan be used to showseveral different pointsof the message.

o Fill out the image a little,then colorit in, so that the pictures can be used temporarily in a field test.

o Testthe flipchart by askingindividuals to explainwhatthey see in thepictures,

o Aspects whichare unclear to people will need to be drawn again, until they becomeclear to any likely audience.

o Use the flipchart while telling the story.

o Evaluate how well the story and pictures work. Material may be revised and re-drawn.

o Finally, when revisions are finished, the material Canbereproduced for others to use. To drawflipchart pictures

an

artistmust take special care. .

• Use large subjects, excluding mostof the background details. Such pictures are the easiestto 'understand..

o Let the pictures show'some kind of action. Actionpictures are usually easier to interpret than pictures of inanimate objects.

o Make sure that the itemsin the pictures, for example, clothes, ornaments, or tools conform to local customs and usage. Some groups are very concerned that tribal objects are pictured correctly. . Audio cassettes

The audio cassette.is very useful in participatory communication. The technology involved in reproducing and using cassettes is more complicated and costly thanthat of handbills, but is still quite feasible in many communities and situations.

o Programs can be produced locally.

o Participants do not need to be literate.

o Cassette players are so Simple to operate that almost anyone can learn how to do it.

• Even single copies can be produced at a reasonable cost.

o Programs can be readiliy produced in different vernacular languages(in contrastWith, for

example, books which usually cannot be produced economically in an edition of less than 1,000).

Tomakecassette programs for development work, one can use material recorded in studios or in the field.

There are many types of studio material, dependingon whatis available to a community or agency. Field . material is mainlyof two types: .

a. Interviews conducted with local people and specialists on topics such as.health and agriculture.

. b. Programs produced during workshops, bothwith staff and with villagers;

The production of cassette programs follows the same basic process that we have described for othermedia.

Afterthe message has been developed, a group (usually with a media ''producer'' from a development projectas facilitator and technician) drafts a possible program on the basis of the agreedupon message.

Then they carry out interviews or createdialogues and short talks to use a material for programs. Songs, dramas and stories are also recorded. These may be part of village feasts, rituals religious services, and other public meetings of interest.

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Video"

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While video in the affluent societies has become an 'individual' medium, in Africa it is becoming.a.gronp.

medium.People who havenOchance at all to buy a TV, let.alone a video, can sometimes h'avea-chance-of

attending 'a'Video show in thesrnal! video -cincmas that are become increasingly popular; The entrance fee is-usually verylow (in Kenyiti'about US$ 0:10). The owners are often short of films andhappy.toinclude.a development film in their programme. As the public usually belong .to the same community thereis a good chance that the development message will be discussed, perhaps even acted on.

4. The role of commun.ication in. increasing theefficiertcy, costeffee-,""tiveness and, continuity of development activities.

""'U{ ",

When we discuss the functionofcommunication in relation to efficiency and effectiveness, we are primarily dealing with a participatory versus a non-participatory approach. One,ofthe objections to participatory "

development is that it is less efficient. The argument is therefore that talking takes time, and when a devel-opment workerknows what is technically right he, can Simply give orders and the task will be accomplished without delay."

This argument is still being used, but has, ^M far as my experience goes, only proved right in emergency . situations which call for very swift action ofveryshortduration, However inmost development 'situations there is a tendency that swift action often drags on. UN intervention in Somalia is a good exampleincase;

Today many are asking why UN didn't put more efforts into cooperation with the communities.

The short duration of a development intervention has often tempted development projects and workers to do the things themselves instead of involving the communities. Governments have often followed the,same pattern" perhaps not,due to time restraints but more due to inability of allowing the communities to be responsible for the development work.

Another factor to reckon with is the duration of the effect of the intervention. Usually the cost benefits are calculated only in relation to time of intervention, while the long term benefits e.g. in terms of people trained often are not taken into consideration,

Norwegian Church Aid ran a largescale Integrated Rural Development Programme in Southern Sudan. One of the main forms of intervation was building of feeder roads. Large scale mechanical means were used and the road project was considered very efficient. Another section^Ofthe project dealt with public health.It concentrated on a very participatory form of health education and training.

At the outbreak of hostilities (in that area 1985) most of the facilities and equipmentWMdestroyed and roads quickly deteriorated. But even a few years later, itWM possible to find.many of the village health workers active in treating the sick and advising people on health matters.

This WM an extreme case, but it demonstrates the fallacy of looking on efficiently in a short term perspec-_{. ,} tive only.

I would like to present another example of how the use of a participation communication approach can be efficient, cost effective and sustainable.

An integrated rural development project in Kkese Uganda, is now in its sixth year. The project included many different activities, health, water, co-operatives; soil conservation, agriculture etc. The owner of the

- ' C ,IT T

7~-project and the donor organization hadagreed tofollow a participatory model where the community had a strong influence on the project. At an evaluation during the third year of the project, it was found tharthe

7~-project and the donor organization hadagreed tofollow a participatory model where the community had a strong influence on the project. At an evaluation during the third year of the project, it was found tharthe

Dans le document Definition, role and significance of development support communication for effective particpation in the development process : (Page 22-31)