How to Write a Radio Serial Drama for Social Development- PDF

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Prologue
1. Individual-level communication occurs when people read, write, speak, gesture with their hands or
bodies, listen to messages from others, or observe what others are doing. Most theories of individuallevel
communication focus on how information is shaped into messages and how those messages are
received, processed, and understood by others. Theories of individual-level communication consider:
• What does a person say or do
• What sense does a person make of what others say or do
• How does a person respond to what others say or do
Communication research indicates that everything a person does including food choices, way of
walking, and color preferences communicates something about that person to the world. Clothing, for
example, reveals much about people, including the groups to which they think they belong, their selfimages,
and their understanding of their own social status.
While these are all external communication signs, some theories also identify an internal level of
communication that is concerned with the way a person processes ideas and information. Internal
communication also indicates a great deal about a person's nature, but it cannot be observed directly;
therefore it is usually inferred from what a person says or does. Dramatists commonly include external
signs of internal communication to indicate what a character thinks or feels and to suggest fascinating
aspects of a character's personality. For example, one character might ask another to explain some
nonverbal behavior: "Why do you look away from me when I talk to you" or "Why are you wringing
your hands"
2. Interpersonal or small group communication takes place between pairs of people (such as a married
couple), within small groups (such as a family or household), or among somewhat larger groups of
friends and strangers (such as a party or community meeting). It always involves some type of a
relationship between two or more people. While individual communication focuses on what "I" or
"you" say or do, interpersonal communication focuses on what "we" say or do together. This is
affected by such considerations as how long the participants have known each other, how well they
know each other, and what expectations and goals they bring to the interaction.
3. Organizational or institutional communication refers to the exchange of information and messages
within or among organizations and institutions; these may include villages, communities, agencies,
businesses, media, and religious groups. Organizations and institutions are larger than small groups
and tend to have an administrative or bureaucratic structure and formal rules. Organizations
communicate by generating reports and letters, holding meetings, making telephone calls,
transmitting faxes, and sending e-mail. They also plan and implement activities, allocate and consume
resources, and undertake other organizational engagements all of which are forms of communication.
An organization's size, structure, resources, power, and position in the community or society influence
the particular ways in which an organization communicates.
4. Societal or cultural communication occurs when there is an exchange and interpretation of symbols,
images, and values throughout a society, usually over an extended period. News media throughout the
world, for example, routinely address public concerns about politics, social values, morality, and
religion. What the media say becomes a subject of public debate and private discussion, some of which
is picked up, in turn, by journalists who present it in additional news coverage. This process can shift
or strengthen social and political values over time. Media also can affect social and political values
through non-news programs, such as radio and television dramas. Studies show that people often
expect consciously or unconsciously that they will learn something about how to deal with everyday
concerns from fictional entertainment programs (Diase, 1993).
Because of its multi-plot structure, serial drama can feature these multiple levels of communication
comfortably and naturally, reflecting the fact that communication about important social matters can