Goals and objectives
Contents of Disaster Risk Communication Hub
Goal: What change do you intend to achieve?
Based on insights gained through the UNDERSTAND process, you need to define a specific goal you intend to achieve through disaster risk communication. This overarching and long-term aim will provide you with a general direction and purpose for your communication plan.
When setting your goal, consider:
- What change do you ultimately want to see? Clearly articulate the desired outcome of your efforts. This should be a specific, tangible change that is feasible given the time and resources you have.
- Why are you focusing on this change and how can media and communication help? Define the rationale behind your goal and articulate how the communication will support higher level disaster risk management goals.
Objectives: How change will happen?
The next step is to break down your goal into actionable steps (objectives) to create change towards achieving that goal.
These objectives will be about changes you will create with your target group – not activities. For example: “…We will increase knowledge about safe evacuation routes” is an objective. “We’ll hand out paper maps” is a communication activity you would do to increase knowledge.
Smart goals and objectives
Your stated goal and objectives should be SMART:
- Specific: Be clear about what exactly you will do
- Measurable: Define the measurements (metrics) you will use to track progress towards your goal and determine when it has been achieved.
- Achievable: Consider the resources, time and support available to you and be realistic.
- Relevant: Ensure objectives address the specific needs or barriers identified during your UNDERSTAND process and ideally align your objectives with broader disaster risk management plans for the area (your own or that of leading agencies).
- Time-bound: Set a clear timeline for achieving your objectives so you can track your progress.
For example, a non-SMART objective is: “To raise awareness”.
Avoid “awareness raising” goals and objectives
Unless you are dealing with a previously unknown risk, the target audience is likely to be aware of it. They may also know what to do about it, even though awareness may not lead to action.
Instead, describe precisely what change you want to see among the target group. It might help to describe how people will think, feel or do things differently as a result of your disaster risk communication.
Keep it real
When devising your disaster risk communication goal, objectives and content, focus on changes or actions that are realistic for your audience member, practitioner or organisation:
- What can people themselves, without waiting for others to take responsibility? What resources are available to them?
- What structural barriers might prevent individual/organisational action that you cannot address as part of your initiative? Eg poverty, lack of infrastructure or poor governance.