Mapping Competencies for Communication for Development and Social Change

In 2000 and 2001, representatives from the Rockefeller Foundation, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), and USAID's CHANGE Project (AED & the Manoff Group, Inc.) discussed the utility of applying competency models to the field of Communication for Development and Social Change. These organisations invited leading experts from around the world to a conference in Bellagio, Italy, to identify competencies and begin the process of using competencies in curriculum development and design. The conference had four objectives; significant progress was made in meeting each of these objectives:

1. Define competencies for Communication for Development and Social Change.
2. Define knowledge and performance evidence for each competence.
3. Review how a competency-based approach is used in curriculum design and delivery methods.
4. Decide on future steps for further consultation and dissemination of competencies and to complete the curriculum design.

After an introduction that presents an at-a-glance summary of the Conference, Part I of this report explains the concept of competencies. Part II describes what happened at the Conference as participants applied these general concepts to Communication for Development and Social Change. Part III presents the "functional map" for Communication for Development and Social Change that resulted from these discussions. Part IV points to next steps in using the map to develop education and training programmes and for other purposes. The Appendices provide additional background information about competencies and about the Conference.

Here below is the full document provided as a series of HTML pages, as well as a link to the full report as a PDF file.

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Mapping Competencies for Communication for Development and Social Change: Turning Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes Into Action

Based on the Conference
"Competencies: Communication for Development and Social Change"
held at the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Study and Conference Center
Bellagio, Italy
January 28 - February 1 2002

Cosponsored by:
Pan American Health Organization
Rockefeller Foundation
The CHANGE Project /United States Agency for International Development

By Maria Etiennette Irigoin, and Paula Tarnapol Whitacre
Dana M. Faulkner and Gloria Coe, eds.

Prepared by the CHANGE Project, under USAID Cooperative Agreement HRN-A-00-98-00044-00
Published November 2002

The CHANGE Project
Academy for Educational Development
1825 Connecticut Avenue NW
Washington DC 20009
[The CHANGE Project has now ended.]

Click here to download the full report as a PDF document.

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Preface

Acknowledgements

Introduction: Overview of the Conference

Part I: The Context: Understanding a Competency-Based Approach

Part II: The Bellagio Conference: Toward the Definition of Competencies for Communication for Development and Social Change

Part III: Functional Map for Communication for Development and Social Change [PDF diagram]

Part IV: What's Next?

Appendices
[Please see the PDF version of the full report, above, for these appendices.]
A: Conference Agenda and Participant List
A-1: Agenda
A-2: List of Participants

B: Reference Material about Competencies
[Please see the PDF version of the full report, above, for these appendices.]
B-1: Developing and Applying a Competency-Based Approach
B-2: Functional Map for Communication for Development and Social Change (in Outline Text Format)
B-3: Competencies in Curriculum Design and Delivery
B-4: Performance Criteria, Performance and Knowledge Evidence, and Range of Application as Applied to Communication for Development and SocialChange

C: Background Papers on Communication for Development and Social Change Presented at the Conference
C-1: Preliminary Results of the CHANGE/Communication Initiative Delphi Study of Competencies
C-2: Training and Education Curricula and Programs in Communication for Development and Social Change: An Overview
C-3: Training Opportunities in Communication for Development and Social Change: Overview of the Situation in Latin America
C-4: Future Trends in Communication for Development and Social Change: Factors Affecting Needed Competencies and Practices

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Preface [top]

How does Communication for Development and Social Change happen? What does a communicator need to know and what should a communicator be able to do to be competent and successful? What do universities and training programs need to teach so that professionals in the field of Communication for Development and Social Change know and can use these competencies?

In looking for ways to increase the long-term impact of their work, representatives of the Rockefeller Foundation, the Pan American Health Organization, and the CHANGE Project of the U.S. Agency for International Development realized that exploring answers to such fundamental questions as those posed above would strengthen their own work in building communication capacity, as well as further the efforts of others.

Thus, in late 2000 and 2001, they agreed to cosponsor a conference at which a small group of researchers, teachers, and practitioners could take a step back from doing Communication for Development and Social Change to consider the competencies that underlie the field. The specific purpose of the meeting was to begin the multi-step process of defining competencies in Communication for Development and Social Change, to be used as the basis for ultimately creating competency-based curricula for education and training of professionals in the field. The Rockefeller Foundation offered use of its Bellagio Study and Conference Center for the conference, which was held January 28-February 1, 2002.

The participants came from universities such as the American University of Beirut and the University of Copenhagen, international agencies such as The World Bank and UNFPA, and other organizations that ranged from the African Women's Development and Communication Network and the A.C.S. (Association of Social Communicators) Calandria in Peru to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. The Appendix lists the participants whose forthrightness and generosity in sharing their rich experience truly enhanced the Conference and the identification of core competencies that resulted. Our discussions were based on collective experience that spanned many years in Africa, Asia, the Middle East, Latin America, and elsewhere; in health, education, and other sectors; in communities and with policy makers and donors. As the discussions continued throughout the week, in one follow-up meeting, and in many subsequent e-mails, were cognized that Communication for Development and Social Change is carried out in many different ways, but is grounded in a common key purpose and competencies.

This report summarizes the weeklong process that culminated in a "Functional Map" of the competencies that we propose are needed for a successful practitioner in the field of Communication for Development and Social Change. After an introduction that presents an at-a-glance summary of the Conference, Part I of this report explains the concept of competencies, which was new to most of us in Bellagio. Part II describes what happened at the Conference as participants applied these general concepts to Communication for Development and Social Change. Part III presents the Functional Map for Communication for Development and Social Change that resulted from these discussions. Part IV points to next steps in using the Map to develop education and training programs and for other purposes. The Appendices provide additional background information about competencies and about the Conference.

We hope this report will serve as a catalyst for communicators, curriculum planners, managers who hire communicators, and others involved in Communication forDevelopment and Social Change to participate in the process of defining competencies for the field. It is important to note that the Functional Map is a work in progress and does not represent the entire field of Communication for Development and Social Change, nor does it imply that one communicator is expected to know and be able to do every competence it lists. Identifying competencies, like the field of communications itself, is a growing discipline. Our goal is for this Functional Map to be refined and improved upon as communicators make suggestions to reflect their experiences. We welcome your comments so that this first effort can truly guide communicators to, as the key purpose in the Functional Map states, "facilitate efforts by people to achieve sustainable improvements in individual and collective well-being."

Gloria A. Coe
Regional Advisor in Health Communication and Journalism
Division of Health Systems and Services
Pan American Health Organization
Regional Office of the World Health Organization
Washington, DC

Denise Gray-Felder
Vice President, Administration and Communication
The Rockefeller Foundation
New York, NY

Elizabeth Fox
Senior Technical Advisor
Health Communication and Behavior Change
Global Health Bureau
US Agency for International Development
Washington, DC

Dana M. Faulkner
Senior Program Officer
The CHANGE Project
Academy for Educational Development
Washington DC

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Acknowledgments [top]

Many people worked together to make the Conference on Competencies for Communication for Development and Social Change so successful. Gloria Coe had the initial inspiration for the conference and persevered mightily to make it a reality. María Irigoin, the facilitator, had a leading hand in helping the Conference sponsors structure the agenda and prepare participants so that the time spent at the Conference could be used to best advantage. Her effective leadership ensured that the conference moved smoothly toward achieving its ambitious objectives. Paula Whitacre, the rapporteur, superbly kept a careful and complete record of the discussion, including ensuring that the many drafts and versions of the Functional Map were up to date during the conference so participants could refer to a common document. She was also the primary author of this summary report. Dana Faulkner worked tirelessly on behalf of the sponsors to organize the meeting, chair the conference, and oversee the production of this report. Great appreciation is also due to the participants, who interrupted busy lives to share their thoughts and experiences for a common goal.

We also express gratitude to the Bellagio Conference and Study Center, particularly Gianna Celli, the resident manager, and her staff. The serenity of the setting truly contributed to the discussions, work flow, and spirit of collegiality and collaboration. Finally, we would like to acknowledge the Pan American Health Organization, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the CHANGE Project of the U.S. Agency for International Development for their support and recognition of the long-term impact that this effort can have on the field of Communication for Development and Social Change.