Designing a Social and Behavior Change Communication Strategy

This SBCC Implementation Kit (or I-Kit) provides practical guidance on developing a communication strategy for social and behavior change communication (SBCC).

Social and behavior change communication is used throughout this I-Kit. Implicit in this term are other names which have been used to describe this field, including behavior change communication, demand side, strategic communication, health communication, and advocacy, communication and social mobilization (ACSM).

Social and Behavior Change Communication

Social and behavior change communication (SBCC) uses science and data as well as creative ideas to focus on:

• Changing or positively influencing social norms in support of long-term, sustainable behavior change at the population level
• Fostering long-term, normative shifts in behavior in support of increasing the practice of healthy behaviors
• Improving health services provider-client interactions
• Strengthening community responses to issues
• Influencing decision-makers and family and peer networks
• Increasing demand for health services and products
• Increasing correct use of health services and products
• Influencing policy
• Encouraging an increased capacity for local planning and implementation of health improvement efforts

To be most effective, SBCC efforts should be matched with efforts to expand services, increase access to commodities, and train and equip providers to meet increased demand for products and/or services. Without these links, audiences may become discouraged and will eventually stop paying attention to the messages.

Communication Strategy Process

The communication strategy may be developed for a variety of purposes and in a variety of ways, from a three-person team that needs to deliver a marketing communication strategy to promote a product to a national task force developing a broad multi-sectoral action plan to an organization that needs to rebrand its services. A team of stakeholders may work together in a participatory workshop setting to develop the strategy document or a core working group (from a few people to a whole team or task force) may work on the strategy development, consulting with stakeholders as needed.

Stakeholders include public, private and NGO (or civil society) sector agencies, relevant Government Ministries, service delivery groups, audience members, advertising agencies, research organizations, media and technical experts. Participation of individuals and/or groups directly affected by the challenge is crucial from the start. Their active involvement can help increase program impact and can lead to long-term sustainability.

The I-Kit includes eight steps in the strategy development process and tools in each one to help compile the needed information. The tools and exercises are not meant to be a strict formula to follow. Rather, the steps are flexible guidelines to be used according to the situation and can thus be adapted according to need. For example, you may already have much of the background work completed and an idea of what challenge to address. In this case, you may want to begin with steps after the Analysis Step. In other instances, all that may be available are research results which have yet to be analyzed so you would want to begin right at Step 1.

Detailed examples of SBCC programs are in the sidebar to illustrate how these steps have been implemented in the field. Most of the lessons in this I-Kit are derived from health communication experience, but the lessons can also be applied to other sectors such as education and democracy and governance.

Before you begin...

This preparation may include a literature review on the current situation for the issue of concern, the major barriers and facilitators to social and behavior change, and emerging issues. The literature review may also provide information on programs/campaigns in other countries that have addressed the same challenge or that focused on similar groups or contexts. Information on the current communication situation in your country should be included as well, to give participants an idea of what approaches are currently used and who is currently implementing SBCC programs.

You may find you need to supplement current information with additional research to guide program planning. This additional research could include collecting further qualitative or quantitative data or conducting a secondary analysis of existing data.