Everywhere you turn, there is a campaign — a catchy slogan, a bold poster, a trending hashtag.
However, for development communicator Cecil Ato Kwamena Dadzie, that is part of the problem. He says it is time to go beyond awareness and start focusing on what truly drives change: behaviour.
“We’ve done well putting issues on people’s radar,” he says. “But we’re often mistaking awareness for action — and that’s a costly assumption.”
With years of experience supporting public health, meaningful youth engagement, and sanitation projects, he has witnessed firsthand how well-crafted messages sometimes fail to change outcomes.
“Just because someone knows the risks of open defecation doesn’t mean they’ll stop,” he explains.
“There are deeper social, economic, and behavioural layers at play.”
In development circles, communication campaigns have long been equated with raising awareness. Billboards are mounted, posts are made on social media, ads are run, celebrities and influencers are enlisted, and boxes are checked — but Cecil believes this approach no longer serves the complexity of the problems we face.
“Awareness is just the entry point. True change happens when people not only know what to do but want to do it — and are supported to sustain it,” he says.
This, he argues, requires a shift from traditional messaging to something more patient and participatory: Social and Behavioural Change Communication (SBCC). Unlike awareness campaigns, which tend to broadcast information, SBCC digs into local realities. It asks questions. It listens. It tests assumptions.
“You can’t drive change with one-way messaging,” he says.
“You need to understand what motivates people, what holds them back, and what might tip the scale.”
While working with rural communities on sanitation practices, Cecil and his team used storytelling, community theatre, and peer dialogue to foster deeper reflection and ownership. The results, he says, were striking.
“We moved from preaching to listening. That’s when the magic started,” he recalls.
Behaviour change is not glamorous work. It takes time. It often unfolds in messy, nonlinear ways — but Cecil believes it is the only sustainable path.
“We have to accept that people don’t change just because we tell them to. They change when the message meets their reality.”
Cecil is not only inviting communicators to rethink their approach — he is also encouraging funders and policymakers to reflect on how success is defined in public education initiatives.
In his view, collaboration across all levels is essential to ensure efforts go beyond visibility and lead to meaningful, lasting change.
“Let’s be honest. Sometimes, it’s easier to show metrics on reach than on change,” he admits.
“But if we really care about impact, we must invest in approaches that go beyond the optics.”
He is calling for more collaboration between communications teams, behavioural scientists, community leaders, and programme designers. He also wants more room for experimentation and learning.
“We need to pilot more, fail faster, and be open to adjusting course based on real feedback.”
With information at our fingertips, it is easy to assume knowledge leads to change. However, the challenge is not what people know — it is how we support them to live it out.
For Cecil Dadzie, that means designing communications that respect people’s lived experiences, that move with humility, and that aim not just to inform, but also to inspire and sustain transformation.
“Behaviour change is where real development happens,” he says. “It’s not about being louder. It’s about being better listeners — and better partners in change.”
Source: Fiifi Adinkra
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