COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGNS THEORY

In considering the communications challenge of effectively reaching an illiterate population, there is applicable communications theory. This chapter presents some communications principles, describes models that can be used to guide efforts to communicate to an illiterate audience and provides context for public communication campaigns. This theory will be applied to the analysis of the case, which follows this chapter.

It is one of the most important aspects of planned communications that planners should know as much about the target audience as possible before deciding on how to most effectively communicate to that audience. This can be couched in theoretical terms as "feedforward". Hornik (1988) sees the need for this to be considered in Third World agricultural development work, where government workers often do not consider the needs of farmers.

Another important principle is the sender-receiver relationship. In the area of communicating to illiterate populations, two specifics should be considered. First, the gap between sender and receiver. Windahl et al. (1997:22) in describing the gap, state that "the chances for successful communication usually decrease as the gap (social, cultural, etc.) between sender and receiver widens."

Second, the receiver's perception of the sender/receiver relationship has an impact when communicating with illiterate populations. It has been suggested that the receiver's perception of the relationship between sender and receiver and the receiver's expectations of the relationship can be a factor in the effectiveness of the communication (Reardon, 1987). The more open a receiver is to a message the more effective the communication will be. If a receiver has trust in the relationship through which the communication takes place, that receiver is more likely to be open to the message received.

Consideration of these opening factors could lead the planner to decide on a number of different options to reach the target audience. It is the author's contention that the decision on which means to use to reach an audience should be led by information about that audience. Although it is costly to consider every characteristic of a target audience, no plan should be conceived without first understanding the basic make up of the group. It follows from this that the planning stage should begin with all options open. As Windahl et al. state, "rarely is there any excuse for falling back on routine solutions without first considering alternatives" (1997: 17).