Sikia Kengele Interpersonal Communication Training for Religious Leaders

This guide was produced to guide a one-day training to teach religious leaders how to communicate important information about HIV and AIDS. The one-day training focuses on giving religious leaders tools they will need to effectively communicate HIV information so that it is most likely to be taken to heart by the people they are trying to reach – and therefore more likely to change their behaviours. "The training describes four basic interpersonal communication skills needed during HIV prevention conversations: active listening; asking questions and probing; speaking simply; and using support materials to help deliver information."
The guide includes background information, session notes, and activity ideas. "The interactive methodology encourages participants to discuss and contribute to everyone’s learning experience, and provides opportunities for participants to practice the four basic skills so that they feel empowered to do them on their own when they return to their communities."
According to the guide, "as highly respected members of their communities, religious leaders are in a unique position to reach individuals and families face to face with information on how they can reduce risky behaviours (and adopt healthy behaviours) that will help prevent them from getting HIV. Strengthening the interpersonal communication skills of religious leaders will help them to deliver these sometimes-difficult public health messages more effectively."
This manual was developed for the Tanzania Marketing and Communications for AIDS, Reproductive Health, Child Survival and Infectious Diseases (T-MARC) project, a six-year (2004-2010) United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded project, led by the Academy for Educational Development.