Just as with an army or well-run ship there can only be one commander for a communication program, even if that commander is the meekest person at the table. That person must listen to the input from all the various sources, decide what value to give each opinion, and then take a concrete decision on how the program will run. “ I don’t know what the key to success is, but the key to failure is trying to please everyone”, Bill Cosby.

 The shortest route to disaster is through “ chaos by committee”. That’s where every thing runs on consensus, with everyone equally voicing their agenda, fighting for their ideas or pet theories, and in general “being committees”. The time for committees and consensus gathering is before the technicians are brought in, when the strategy is still young and confined to the office. Once the strategy is set, the goals and objectives agreed upon, then there should be no further changes. So, be careful and get it exactly right before you start production.

 WARNING: The materials you produce are targeted to a specific audience. The drives, desires, and taste of those people will usually be quite different from your own. Never forget, that you may not like the stuff and they may love it. You may find it completely tasteless and your audience may think it’s a work of art. What I am saying here in no uncertain terms is do not fall into the trap of producing materials that you like at the cost of losing touch with your intended audience. Just because you do not like something or think it will not work doesn't mean your target audience will not like it. In fact the number of times they surprise you will almost always outweigh the times you are right.

 Don’t laugh. It happens every day all over the world. The temptation will be chewing at you constantly from the moment production starts. Do not be a “Mother Hen”, let the people decide for themselves what they like and do not like. One trick I have found quite useful is to find a few people who fit the standard profile and use them as sounding boards. They maybe drivers, houseboys, cooks, or office cleaners. Just remember you are looking for totally disinterested people who are completely “normal”. Ones who will truthfully say if they like something, and hopefully why, or why not.

 In Tanzania I was lucky enough to have a driver, houseboy, and maid who gave me great feed back on all my draft materials. Many is the time they saved me from some potentially major goof, while frequently there suggestions helped make good materials something special. The number of times an artwork I thought a little to risqué or just tasteless was fantastic to them are beyond counting.

 The key is always to take whatever feed back you get seriously, even if it doesn't make sense to you at the moment. Remember you are dealing with a different culture, with different ways of seeing things. If you really want to talk to people from the heart of that culture you must use elements, and language, that have meaning for them.