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

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Prologue
Source factors are the characteristics of a message’s source that make it interesting, relevant, and
persuasive for a particular audience member. In drama, the source is the character who delivers the
message. Among the most influential source factors are:
• Credibility—Is the character believable as the bearer of the message
• Attractiveness—Is the character attractive or appealing
• Similarity—Does the character have anything in common with the listeners
• Authority and expertise—Does the character have the authority or expertise to
be a spokesperson for the promoted behavior
(See Chapter 5 for more on the topic of Character Development.)
Persuasion theory can help the design team make accurate determinations about the needs of the
audience. It describes how audience members move toward acceptance and advocacy of a new behavior at
an appropriate speed and in a natural manner. The team can then include in the Writer’s Brief information
(based on formative research) about the chosen audience’s current attitudes toward the desired behavior
change and how to move them forward.
For example: Research may indicate that, while the audience is very much aware of and
knowledgeable about family planning, many people do not consider adopting a contraceptive method
because of traditional beliefs favoring large families. Based on this information, the design team can
determine that the focus of the drama, from the outset, should be on motivating the audience to a
change of attitude. It will not be necessary for the writer to start by making listeners aware of the
advantages and methods of family planning.
Alternatively, research may show that the chosen audience appreciates the advantages of planning
the family but lacks knowledge of how to delay and space births. In this case, the emphasis of the early
episodes of the serial should be on helping listeners acquire the knowledge and skills needed before they
can consider adopting family planning.
The advantage of a long-running serial drama with multiple plots is that it can include characters at
different stages in the process of behavior change and can follow them as they gradually accept the new
behavior.
❖ Theory of Reasoned Action
The theory of reasoned action (Ajzen and Fishbein, 1980) also tends to focus on the individual person,
but it emphasizes the effect of social influences on personal behavior more than does persuasion theory. It
states that, before deciding to try a new behavior, people carefully weigh its benefits and disadvantages and
consider what other people might do or think. The two important components of reasoned action theory
are:
• Beliefs about the consequences of a behavior. The individual asks, “What will happen to me if I
take this action or try to do so”
• Perceived social norms regarding the behavior. The individual asks, “What do I believe others
would do about this situation What do I believe others would want me to do”
For example: A newly married woman might recognize that preventing HIV infection would be a
benefit of using condoms as contraceptives. Offsetting this is a disadvantage: asking her husband to use
condoms might suggest that she does not trust her husband to be disease-free or that she herself is
promiscuous. She might also believe that her husband disapproves of condom use (a negative social
norm), while the local health worker strongly recommends the use of condoms in marriage (a positive
social norm). According to the theory of reasoned action, the woman would be faced with two
questions, “Is preventing possible HIV infection more important to me than the suggestion of
infidelity” and “Is it more important to do what my husband wants or what the health worker