I originally posted this on my blog during a community-based social marketing training on November 2, 2011.
For the last two days, I’ve attended Dr. Doug McKenzie-Mohr’s (DMM) Introductory Workshop on Community-Based Social Marketing. DMM went through the process of behavior identification and delineation; barrier and benefit analysis; tools to overcome those barriers; and pilot structures. Over 16 hours, we heard case studies and stories from research and practitioners implementing CBSM strategies, often to great success. From the last two days:
- I understand how importance of the details of this approach in helping communities meet their impact goals. With limited resources, we can’t afford to just guess when there’s so much information out there already about what does and does not work. I see what we sacrifice when we take shortcuts in program planning and design, and how I can help minimize those shortcomings.
- I have gained confidence in my understanding of this process (that social marketing is a process, not just an approach) so that I can better communicate what CBSM can achieve but what is necessary to make that happen. And I am more confident that a broader range of communities can be using this approach to enhance the effectiveness of their programs.
- I am more rehearsed in explaining my fellowship objectives to other practitioners and how my fellowship work and my CERTs work are related to one another. I also feel more comfortable talking about and asking questions about the role community can play throughout the CBSM process, and the benefits that can come from that.
- I gained helpful information about what I need to include and explain in presentations about CBSM. I also found great resources that I can use to help guide any workshops or consulting with communities wanting to use these powerful tools.
- I feel armed with more resources in terms of relationships with practitioners (in many different fields, something that Doug stressed) and studies and case study examples of CBSM at work.
- I’m really looking forward to the next two days of the Advanced workshop. I look forward to visit with others that have some experience so far with CBSM and to gain more insight about not only presenting CBSM to MN communities and groups but facilitating them through the process of learning about and applying CBSM to their own work and goals in their community.
Check out the original post on my blog to see comments and join the conversation, and visit my blog Common Spark.
