Participatory Development Communication: An Audience-Centered Initiative

Abstract

Communication: An Audience-Centered Initiative IntroductionParticipatory development communication is the use of the mass media, traditional and interpersonal modes of communication to empower communities in their bid to discover solutions to their development problems and goals. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary (2018) defines the term 'participatory' as the provision of opportunity for individual participation. It also defines 'communication' as the process of conveying information from a sender to a receiver with the use of a medium in which the communicated information or message is understood the same way by both the sender and the receiver. Development on its part is defined by Oso (2002) as a term that came into widespread application after the Second World War to mean growth, industrialization, change, modernization and democracy.The summary of these definitions is that participatory development communication is a process in which community members are brought in to contribute and share ideas about how to bring about development to their communities. Kheerajit and Flor (2013) describe it as a key process in the bringing together of stakeholders for cooperation in the task of addressing the problem of the environment and to work towards the enthronement of a sustainable social change away from individuals. While noting that it is a tool that enables stakeholders to work together towards producing a sustainable social change away from individual behaviour change in their communities, they remark that participatory development communication offers local community members the platform to discuss and address natural resource managements in their communities and to build an improved policy environment. Anaetoand Solo-Anaeto (2010) align with this observation in their definition. They assert that it as the process of seeking the active involvement and participation of community members and groups in development initiatives through strategic utilization of various communication strategies.Guy Bessette (2004, p. 6)holds an identical view, as he argues that participatory development communication is a powerful tool to facilitate the development of putting people first in the promotion of community self-organization. He is of the opinion that the term should be analyzed within the context of 'facilitating the active involvement of different community groups, along with other stakeholders involved and the many development and research agents working with the community and decision makers. 'Bessette (2004, p. 9) offers a definition of participatory communication as 'a planned activity, based on the one hand on participatory processes, and on the other hand on media and interpersonal communication, which facilitates a dialogue among different stakeholders, around a common development problem or goal, with the objective of developing and implementing a set of activities to contribute to its solution, or its realization, and which supports and accompanies this initiative.' The notion of stakeholders here refers to active co...