Designing an SBCC Intervention for CHW Behavior Change

Take some time to review what your primary audience cares about, hopes for, aspires to and needs. These represent benefits your CHW audience would respond to. Some examples might include: being respected, making a difference, being seen as a leader in their community, or making money. Think about what you are asking your audience to do, then imagine a CHW asking, “Why should I do this?” or “How will this help me?” Write down responses to those questions keeping in mind what kind of benefits the CHWs would care about. The promise must be true, accurate and of real benefit. The key promise is not the message the CHW will see or hear, but it is the benefit that will be conveyed in all the messages and materials you produce.

After brainstorming benefits, develop the key promise using an “if…then…” statement: “If you (do this new behavior) then you will (benefit).” For example, “If you treat clients with respect regardless of their background, then you will be viewed as a leader your community can turn to.” It can be helpful to develop a few alternative options and pretest them with your audience to see which benefit resonates best with them.

Convey the key promise in all the messages, activities and materials you create.

Your audience needs believable, persuasive and truthful information to support the key promise. These can be in the form of facts, testimonials, celebrity or opinion leader endorsements, comparisons or guarantees. The kind of support points used will depend on what will appeal and be credible to your particular CHWs.

Based on the key promise you developed, identify information that supports the promise. As you develop those support points, consider who your CHWs trust or aspire to be like, where and how they prefer to get their information, and what kind of appeals will best reach them. For instance, would your CHWs trust a promise given by another CHW, a health system manager or a community leader?

Some examples of support points include:

• Using the new referral system has saved 200 lives (fact, comparison)
• A fellow CHW testimonial: “I listened to my clients and I am now all the community members come to me for guidance.”