IEC: Information, Education and Communication

Not-for-Profit organizations or NFPs are oftentimes to engross with the day-to-day advocacy and challenges of implementing projects that they don't stop to communicate their intent, their activities, the impact they would like to create, and the stakeholders they need to support them. Information Education and Communication or IEC clearly show three (3) distinct components: information, education and communication.

Many times we are confronted with issues and concerns that only if we communicated earlier or more clearly would have prevented ruffled feelings, lack of coordination or even animosity among stakeholders. The problems of communication are not unique to small organizations. Communication is a very basic component of any organization. No organization or even communities can survive let alone stay together if no framework of communication exist.

Communication in an organization refers to the structures, processes, media, or channels that get a message across from the sender to the intended recipient. Of course both sender and recipient are part of the whole communication environment.

Information is the relevant content that can be use for decision-making. You have to ask yourself if what you are communicating is relevant and can the recipient use it to make tactical or strategic decision: to act or not to act.

Education comes when our communication and information is sent or delivered with the aim of changing a mindset, a behavior, or move an audience to a certain course of action.

Around the late 1980s, most international aid agencies like the WorldBank and the Asian Development Bank required programme implementers to make an IEC plan an integral component of any development plan or programme. Stakeholders are to become an important component of the IEC loop.

Our Stakeholders: Who Are We Communicating To and What Desirable Outcome Do We Want?
Our IEC program is the vehicle in which we design our message, the quality of its content and our delivery systems. For the IEC program and its projects to be effective, we must understand to whom we are delivering the message and what desired effect are we trying to achieve?
Every material, text, delivery method or media must put our audience first. We must understand "where our audience" is coming from and design our IEC projects with that in mind.

Content: What Are Our IEC Deliverables? The content of our IEC program is dependent on who is using or seeking out information about us and our activities. It is logical therefore that each corporate public or audience of the IEC campaign will have different needs in terms of content.

Channels: How Do We Deliver Our Message? The delivery system is as important as the message. It is important therefore to consider the most cost-effective delivery system for the message and the audience. Existing services and technology are already adequate for the kind of IEC campaign envisioned but it is the creative application and combination that will determine the quality and extent of the impact. The most effective approach is to apply a multi-channel delivery system which is complementary and provides synergy.

The succeeding posts will touch on the many dimensions of the IEC of a NFP. Keep posted.