Communication and Development – Approaches, Perspectives and Practices

Development communication is many things for many people. One way in which this term is used refers to processes related to ‘communication for development,’ i.e., communicating to translate public policy imperatives, developmental goals and desirable behavioral transformations on the ground.

For some CSOs working in the field of social development, development communication involves communicating their work to their supporters (including funders) so that they can cultivate relationships and continue to serve the communities they work with. This purportedly helps them differentiate themselves from others, in what seems like a marketplace for ideas in the social sector.

For others, development communication involves appropriate messaging, so that people are better informed and can make effective choices that affect their health, lives and livelihoods. This follows in a tradition of behavioral change communication.

Two important examples in India of this have been in the areas of family planning and AIDS prevention. Not surprisingly, a large part of this action has taken place in the public health arena, in the country and across the world.

There are also some strands of communication done by CSOs and other social actors, including unions, CBOs and other civil society groups, which try to change the status quo by questioning extant common sense. Examples of these include groups working towards environmental protection and the promotion of handicrafts in an increasingly mechanized world.

An important type of development communication is about reporting on violations of rights and safeguards. Traditionally human rights organizations and advocacy groups working on protecting the interests of marginalized social groups such as dalits and adivasis, LGBTQIA communities, and children with disabilities, have foregrounded concerns surrounding the violation of constitutional and legal protection of these communities. They have also tried to build popular pressure for instituting and strengthening these protective frameworks.

One thing must be clear from this discussion. There are two broad aspects of development communication. One refers to communication about the work we might be doing. The other aspect is about communicating and advocating for desirable social change itself as a valid and important form of communication practice.

These days, all of us are generally so caught up with routine project work that it is difficult, more often than not, to pullback, ideate and implement communication strategies that advocate for just, humane and equitable spaces and processes in the domains we work in.

A big part of the challenge is to do with the often-perceived lack of resources that most CSOs struggle with. However, in the same way we try and insulate the core of our activity, that goes beyond our project cycles, and defines who we are, building and executing a communication strategy is an essential component of our work as civil society actors.

We often tend to see communication as externally oriented. More often than not, we focus on communicating about our work with external stakeholders. However, communication has an important organization building role as well. Communication of the right type and frequency is critical to build our teams, given the collective nature of our work.

The sharing of information and results of decision making processes with everyone in the organization is important. This is critical, both in terms of making everyone feel included, and building the organization’s work on the basis of everyone’s capabilities. Keeping communication channels open is important for collective meaning making and for fostering internal democracy as well.

Reflexive organizations often realize that channels of internal and external communication draw upon the same processes and elements, and involve little duplication of work, if ever. Both these modes of communication also reinforce each other’s effectiveness by helping to better align the organization’s vision and mission with its operations. Sometimes we gain clarity about our work by talking about what we are doing with each other, by communicating with others, and then reflecting about both these processes.

Another important, and related, aspect of the externally facing work of communication is to do with creating and sustaining collectives across organizations in the ecosystem. The work that we attempt to do is huge. The external ecosystem is often hostile. We need to talk to other like-minded organizations, communicate with them regularly, and build solidarities and networks. This is also an aspect of communication that we as CSOs need to pay attention to.