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

Chapter Two: Writing Begins: The Writer’s Brief 17
The finished design document also lists the names of the members of the
design team and all those in authority (at various ministries and
organizations) who gave their support or assistance during the design phase.
Ideally, the writers—who are members of the design team—should be
given copies of the entire design document when it is complete. It is essential
that they be given all but the promotion and monitoring and evaluation
plans as a Writer's Brief before they start any script writing, including
preparation of pilot programs.
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Contents of the Writer's Brief
The Writer's Brief must include all the following information:
1. Rationale for the desired change in behavior. For all social development
programs, whether nontechnical or technical knowledge programs, the
writer must begin with a clear understanding of the type of behavior
change the serial hopes to motivate in the listening audience and the
reasons that this change is considered important.
2. Audience information. The brief should supply two types of
information about the intended audience. Initial research provides
reliable information on the audience's current understanding of and
attitudes toward the desired new behavior, on their willingness and
ability to adopt it, and on personal characteristics. It may also provide
information on current social norms. This information comes from
qualitative research and/or a baseline survey conducted by trained
researchers during the analysis phase of the project.
The second type of information is the audience profile, which
provides a wider range of facts about the audience's lifestyle. Where
possible, writers should compile these profiles themselves, perhaps in
collaboration with a trained researcher. In some countries, much of this
information already may have been compiled for previous projects, and
such materials certainly should be made available to the writer although
they can never replace the writer's firsthand knowledge of the audience.
The point of these profiles is not so much to collect hard data as for
writers to gain a personal sense of, or feeling for, the audience members;
this will ensure that the serial truly is for and about them. While the full
list of characteristics in the profile depends on the nature of the
community and its culture as well as the topic and overall objectives of
the serial, an audience profile typically includes information on:
• Language, including dialect, commonly used expressions, and
proverbs;
• Levels of education for women and men and attitudes toward
education;
• Typical occupations for women and men;
• Average number of children per family;
• Economic status;
• Cultural background;
• Customs and strength of adherence to traditional behavior;