Communication and Extension

About this unit

This unit deals with communication as a tool for social change and for organisations. It covers development communication and journalism, which carry information and ideas to people to improve their lives, and corporate communication and public relations, which manage communication within an organisation and between it and its publics.

Key ideas

• Development communication uses communication to bring about planned, positive social change.
• Extension methods can be individual, group or mass, and are often combined.
• Participation of the community makes communication more effective.
• Journalism gathers, checks and presents news; development journalism focuses on issues affecting people's lives.
• Corporate communication covers internal and external communication of an organisation.
• Public relations builds goodwill and mutual understanding between an organisation and its publics.

How to prepare

• Learn the types of extension methods with examples, and the features of each medium.
• Know the difference between advertising and publicity, and the tools of public relations.
• Practise questions that ask which method or tool is best for a given situation.