(This reference is an abridged version of the CDCynergy health communication model. )

Phase 1: Describe Problem

The key elements in this phase involve working with partners to:

• Identify and define health problems that may be addressed by your program interventions.
• Examine and/or conduct necessary research to describe the problems.
• Assess factors and variables that can affect the project’s direction, including strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT).

Phase 2: Analyze Problem

The key elements in this phase involve working with partners to:

• List causes of each problem you plan to address.
• Develop goals for each problem.
• Consider strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats, and ethics of health 1) engineering, 2) communication/education, 3) policy/enforcement, and 4) community service intervention options.
• Select the types of intervention(s) that should be used to address the problem(s).

Phase 3: Plan Intervention

The key elements in this phase involve working with partners to:

• Decide whether communication is needed as a dominant intervention and/or as support for other intervention(s).
  • If communication is used as a dominant intervention, list possible audiences.
  • If communication is to be used to support Community Services, Engineering, and/or Policy/Enforcement interventions, list possible audiences to be reached in support of each selected intervention.
• Conduct necessary audience research to segment intended audiences.
• Select audience segment(s) and write communication objectives for each audience segment.
• Write a creative brief to provide guidance in selecting appropriate concepts/messages, settings, activities, and materials.

Phase 4: Develop Intervention

The key elements in this phase involve working with partners to:

Develop and test concepts, messages, settings, channel-specific activities, and materials with intended audiences.

• Finalize and briefly summarize a communication implementation plan. The plan should include:
  • Background and justification, including SWOT and ethics analyses
  • Audiences
  • Communication objectives
  • Messages
  • Settings and channels for conveying your messages
  • Activities (including tactics, materials, and other methods)
  • Available partners and resources
  • Tasks and timeline (including persons responsible for each task, date for completion of each task, resources required to deliver each task, and points at which progress will be checked)
  • Internal and external communication plan
  • Budget
• Produce materials for dissemination.

Phase 5: Plan Evaluation

The key elements in this phase involve working with partners to:

• Determine stakeholder information needs.
• Decide which types of evaluation (e.g., implementation, reach, effects) are needed to satisfy stakeholder information needs.
• Identify sources of information and select data collection methods.
• Formulate an evaluation design that illustrates how methods will be applied to gather credible information.
• Develop a data analysis and reporting plan.
• Finalize and briefly summarize an evaluation implementation plan. The plan should include:
  • Stakeholder questions
  • Intervention standards
  • Evaluation methods and design
  • Data analysis and reporting
  • Tasks and timeline (including persons responsible for each task, date for completion of each task, resources required to deliver each task, and points at which progress will be checked)
  • Internal and external communication plan
  • Budget

Phase 6: Implement Plan

The key elements in this phase involve working with partners to:

• Integrate, execute, and manage communication and evaluation plans.
• Document feedback and lessons learned.
• Modify program components based on feedback.
• Disseminate lessons learned and evaluation findings.

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