COMMUNICATION SKILLS

Concepts of Information, Education and

Communication
LEARNING TASKS

By the end of this session students are

expected to be able to:
 Define the terms information, education
and communication (IEC)
 Explain the importance of IEC

 Explain principles of IEC to influence

health behavior
Information -Is the knowledge gained through
study, communication, research, instruction,
etc.; factual data. OR
 Data that have been verified to be accurate
and timely.
Education-Is the process by which society
deliberately transmits its accumulated
knowledge, skills and values from one
generation to another.
• Education in the largest sense is any act or
experience that has a formative effect on the
mind, character or physical ability of an
individual.
Communication
 Communication is the exchange and flow of
information and ideas from one person to
another; it involves a sender transmitting an
idea, information, or feeling to a receiver.
 Effective communication occurs only if the
receiver understands the exact information or
idea that the sender intended to transmit,
people are actively involved.
 This helps them to experience a new way of
thinking or doing about things and its
sometimes called participatory learning
IEC
 Information, education and communication
(IEC) means sharing information and ideas in
a way that is culturally sensitive and
acceptable to the community, using
appropriate channels, message and methods.
Types of IEC Materials
 Graphics and Audio-visual

 Mass media
SOURCES OF IEC MATERIALS
The following are the possible sources of IEC
 The government under the ministry of health

 Pharmaceutical industries, and medical

equipment companies often provide disease or
condition related to their products or their
drugs
 Professional organization can be source of
balanced educational materials
 Nurses desk can be source of materials
 Information from the internet like any other
source complement rather than replacing other
information provided by the clinician, when
evaluating information from the internet look
for credibility web credentials of authors and
contributors, relevant information, relevant
copyright information ownership disclosure
and the date of the posting.
POTENTIAL AUDIENCES LIKELY TO INTERACT
The potential audiences likely to interact with
are:
 Patients/clients

 Patient relatives

 Community

 Rehabilitation canters

 Co- workers ( Nurses, Doctors, Pharmacists,

Medical attendants , Nursing students,
Medical students ) School pupils
FEATURES OF IEC MATERIALS
The IEC materials should follow the
following five features:
 Comprehension

 Attractiveness

 Acceptance

 Involvement

 Inducement to action
 COMPREHENSION
 Understanding IEC materials and messages is
essential as a prior condition to acceptance and
behavior change.
 Comprehension measures not only the clarity
of the content, but also the way in which it is
presented.
 Complicated or technical vocabulary may be
responsible for the target audience's failure to
understand the message.
 Or, perhaps the target audience fails to
understand the message because the typeface
is too small, making it difficult for the target
audience to read the message.
ATTRACTIVENESS
 IEC materials should be attractive. If an
IEC material is not attractive individuals
may not pay much attention to it.
 Attractiveness can be achieved through
the use of sounds, music, tone, in the case
of radio; visuals, color and illustrations, in
the case of graphics; movement, action,
illumination, and animation in the case of
video.
ACCEPTANCE
 The messages must be acceptable to the
target population.
 If communication material contains
something offensive, is not believable, or
generates discord among the target
audience, the audience will reject the
message conveyed.
INVOLVEMENT

 The target audience should be able to

identify with the IEC materials.
 They should recognize that the message is
directed toward them.
 People will not pay attention to messages
that they consider do not involve them.
 Illustrations, symbols and language
should reflect the characteristics of the
target audience.
 The materials should indicate clearly
what the health promotion intervention
wants the target audience to do.
 Most IEC materials promote a message
that asks, motivates, or induces members
of the target audience to carry out or cease
a particular action.
 Successful IEC materials transmit a
message that can be done by the target
audience.
IMPORTANCE OF IEC
 Information, education and
communication (IEC) combines strategies,
approaches and methods that enable
individuals, families, groups,
organizations and communities to play
active roles in achieving, protecting and
sustaining their own health.
 Embodied in IEC is the process of
learning that empowers people to make
decisions, modify behaviors and change
social conditions.
PRINCIPLES OF IEC TO INFLUENCE
HEALTH BEHAVIOR
 Activities are developed based upon needs
assessments, sound educational
principles, and periodic evaluation using a
clear set of goals and objectives.
 IEC activities not only need to have an
appropriate context in which they are
shaped, but it is crucial that health
services providers be prepared to respond
to any demand that may be created as a
result of effective IEC activities.
 The influence of underlying social, cultural,
economic and environmental conditions on
health are also taken into consideration in
the IEC processes.
 Identifying and promoting specific behaviors
that are desirable are usually the objectives
of IEC efforts.
 Behaviors are usually affected by many
factors including the most urgent needs of the
target population and the risks people
perceive in continuing their current
behaviors or in changing to different
behaviors.
 Health information can be communicated
through many channels to increase
awareness and assess the knowledge of
different populations about various issues,
products and behaviors.
 Good communication between users and
providers of any service is essential IEC
approaches must be carefully and
appropriately designed and selected