Development
Issues ⇒ Media
and the international communication climate
Communication is different from information: communication is active interaction while information is an isolated action Communication always involves at least two persons (or two groups of persons) who, while talking about "something" also define their relationship and the reciprocal expectations. In each human relationship we can find elements of solidarity and elements of competition. Communication is what allows us to manage the reciprocal conflict of interests maintaining the bound of solidarity for the achievement of the shared objectives.
In the competitive business environment "to communicate" is mainly to "to
convince" so as to make your counterparts do what is useful for you that they
make. But in development cooperation environment "to communicate" is mainly to
"built agreement" on how to achieve the common objectives and how to
reciprocally support and empower the action partners. The sincerity and
authenticity of communication are therefore the main drivers of successful
development cooperation actions.
It is the communication climate within the partnership that really sets the ground upon which actions are designed and implemented. Communication is then successful when it enables a participatory approach to development ; communication then achieves its purpose and when the “different we-s” of the different interest groups are scale up into a “common we” that includes all development stakeholders.
Different are the forms of communication aimed at obtaining subordination and the communication aimed at obtaining co-operation:. The strategic element of communication for development cooperation is to adopt a modality that is coherent with its fundamental mission of building partnership. Propaganda, seduction and other rhetorical modes will tent to be counterproductive, because they will express the desire of manipulating the counterparts. Open, sincere and maieutic communication will instead built trust, as it will reveal the intention of enabling reciprocal knowledge and common synergy.
Since often partners from different geographic and civilizations contexts are associated in development partnership, cultural differences are sometimes an handicap to reciprocal understanding. However these difficulties are always overcome with the authentic dialogical approach that finally transform the differences in opportunities to learning and innovation. In the case of persuasion effort there is no generation of truth; there is no production of new knowledge: there is only a more or less hidden effort to manipulate the counterpart. So when the communication climate is based on the modality of dominance/subjugation no real partnership is enable and the project objectives will never lead to sustainable development nor to institutional improvements. For development cooperation principles to be trusted, behavior of all development actors must be consistent with messages about values that are extensively shared. An efficacious “coherence for development” is not merely a coordination of development action amongst different donors: it is more a coherence between the values officially declared and the values lived thought. Communication is not merely about “saying” something but rather about “relating” through a coherent mixture of statements and actions, of theories and practices.
Development
Issues ⇒ Media
and the international communication climate
In other sections of this handbook
Communication
Management Communication
Skills Knowledge
Management
On other Wikibooks
Communication
Theory Communication
Course
On Wikipedia
CommunicationSee the Testimonials listed in . This issue is dealt with in the ⇒ Documentary
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Development Cooperation in Action - 
Steps
and Tools
Communication is one
of the
9 topic areas of project
management knowledge.
Communication Management Plan defines how and when the various stakeholders
receive information, and communicate with each other.
We have different ways of classifying and segmenting the communication. If we look at communication as a human relationship, we can classify different varieties of communication according to different relationship modalities. If look at communication as the art of generating consensus in order to achieve our objectives, we will analyse the factors pertaining to communication skills. If we look at how communication works, we will classify the different tasks, tools and elements of communication. As organisations and institutions become "project based" there is ever greater need to plan communication in a manner that supports and facilitates project management. Communication is essential to organisational life as it enables knowledge sharing, decision making, and work performance. Effective communications engage employees in the culture and the objectives of the organisation. It promotes teamwork and understanding. In order to manage programmes that are effective in achieving the desired Impacts, effective communication in the organisation is essential. Project Communication Management is the systematic planning, implementing, monitoring, and revision of the communication channels between the project team and the project stakeholders . Sustainable development is possible only with the active participation of the beneficiary populations. Whenever communication serves development activities it should be be designed, implemented and evaluated through a participatory approach. Participation is possible only where communication is successfully managed. There are however sections of population who do not have sufficient awareness to become actors of social and economic development; awareness campaigns are communication actions aimed at enabling wider participation.
A strategy can be defined as: A systematic, well-planned series of actions, combining different methods, techniques and tools, to achieve an intended change or objective utilising the available resources within a specific time frame. Similarly a communication strategy is a well-planned series of actions aimed at achieving certain objectives through the use of communication methods, techniques and approaches. From this definition it can be inferred that before you even start thinking about the communication strategy you need to have in mind clear objectives. These objectives will assist you to determine how to go about solving the problem. Objectives are the basis of your strategy. Once the objectives are set, you need to assess the available resources to you in order to refine your communication strategy. This is a strategy that should be: consistent with the field findings and the project framework; feasible (in relation to the resources available and the timeframe); effective (makes the best use of the available resources in order to achieve the set objectives).
Strategic management is about the organizational success now and in the future. This management and research approach concentrates on the organization's ability to organize its routines, capabilities and resources for success. The strategic management breaks away from the concept of strategy. They are far from the same.
ime scales Strategic management operates on several time scales. Short term strategies involve planning and managing for the present. Long term strategies involve preparing for and preempting the future. Marketing strategist Derek Abell (1993), has suggested that understanding this dual nature of strategic management is the least understood part of the process. He claims that balancing aspects of strategic planning requires the use of dual strategies simultaneously. Strategic Management is actually a solid foundation or a framework within which all the functioning managerial operations are bundled together. This is the highest level organizational activity that sets the terms and goals for a organization that it should follow for prosperity.
General approaches Strategic management techniques can be viewed as bottom-up, top-down, or collaborative processes. In the bottom-up approach, employees submit proposals to their managers who, in turn, funnel the substance of a new strategy, all of which is done without a grand strategic design or a strategic architect. The top-down approach is the most common by far. In it, the CEO, possibly with the assistance of a strategic planning team, decides on the overall direction the organization should take. Some organizations are starting to experiment with collaborative strategic planning techniques that recognize the emergent nature of strategic decisions.
Development Cooperation in Action - Steps
and Tools
Communication competence is the ability to decide which is the most effective and productive way to exchange information, depending upon circumstances and the situation you find yourself in. Being competent also means that you can do so without making the other party lose face.
To achieve that competence we will begin with the basic communication skills, and the tools you have to use to master them; how to make sure the message is presented clearly so that it can be understood; how to listen effectively; and how to respond to the person being communicated with.
For communication to lead to successful results, the messages that are sent must be carefully thought out before they are presented to make sure that they actually reflect organizational needs, wants, goals, and desires; in other words the organization’s mission and vision.
Underlying effective communication skills are seven important elements that are crucial for promoting
These elements collectively include the following:
Regardless of the form the message takes, you must make sure that:
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