Communication

WHAT is COMMUNICATION?

Communication has different face or image like mass communication, health communication also included are international communication speech communication, intercultural communication, communication education, applied communication, organizational communication, political communication, this list could be more expanded even farther to include journalism, media production, information and communication technologies, public relations, corporate communication, and development communication, indicating the diversified and multifaceted nature of communication.

Dictionaries, websites, and other sources confirm the richness but they can causes misconception about the term “communication”. As noted by Mattelart, this is not a recent development: in 1973 Denis Dadirot was already written in encyclopedia, “communication: a term with a great number of meanings”. This kind of diversity is not sign of weakness it’s considered as strength.

DIFFERENT TYPES OF COMMUNICATION:

Lack of clarity and confusion, that many develop managers think the main challenge for development communication because they often failed to differentiate among the various areas of mass communication. The practical differences are often significant and are rooted not only in the rational, functions’ and applications of the different fields, but also in the theories behind those applications and the methods being used.

The four basic types of communication frequently encountered in the development context. Although some functions may be overlap to a degree, the different type of communication and the way they are used require different bodies of knowledge. Each type of communication are listed as follows

Common types of communication in development communication:

1. Corporate Communication:

Definition: Communication the mission and activities of the organization mostly for external audiences.

Main functions: Use media outputs products to promote the mission and values of the institution, inform selected audiences about relevant activities.

2. Internal Communication:

Definition: Facilitate the flow of information within an institution project. Sometimes this area can be included in corporate communication.

Main functions: Ensure timely and effective sharing of relevant information within the staff and institution units. It enhances synergies and avoids duplication.

3. Advocacy Communication:

Definition: Influence change of the public or policy level and promote issues related of development.

Main functions: Raise awareness on hot development issues, use communication methods and media to influence specific audiences and support the intended change.

4. Development Communication:

Support sustainable change in development operations by engaging key stakeholders.

Main functions: Establish conclusion environments for assessing analysis and opportunities disseminate information, induce behavior and social change.

A brief history of Development Communication:

If we want to build a better understanding in the field if development communication then we have to be enlighten about different purpose and functions of various types of communication. This will also help us to build an effective way of quality standards.

The Dominant Paradigm: Modernization

The old paradigm rooted in the concepts of development as modernization. After 2nd World war it has been called the dominant paradigm because of its pervasive impact on most aspects of development . The central idea of this old paradigm was to solve development problems by modernizing underdeveloped countries.

The Opposing Paradigm: Dependency

An alternative theoretical model was emerged in 1960, the dependency theory. Some of the core assumption of dominant paradigm was criticized because it implicitly put the responsibility, and the blame; neglecting external, social, historical, and economic factors. It also accused dominant paradigm of being very western-centric, refusing any alternative route of development. The dependency theory emphasized on link between communication and culture as well as equitable exchange of communication, information, cultural programs among rich and poor countries. But in 1980 it started lose relevance gradually in tandem with the failure of the alternative economic models proposed by its proponents.

The Emerging Paradigm: Participation

When the promise of the modernization paradigm failed to materialized, and its methods came increasingly under fire, and the dependency theorist failed to provide a successful alternative model, a different approach focusing on people’s participation began to emerge. This participatory is less oriented to the political-economic dimension and more rooted in the cultural realities of development. Sustainability and people’s participation became key elements of this new vision as acknowledged. Meaningful participation cannot occur without communication. To be truly significant and meaningful, participation needs to be based on the application of genuine two-way communication principles and practices. The new paradigm is also changing the way communication is conceived and applied.