To convey a message effectively, the professional must avoid a condescending attitude and function as a field-level community worker in order to reach the people. Projects of local interest and benefit such as a school, skills-training centre, primary health care clinic, or nutrition centre or activities such as sanitary or public facility maintenance must be discussed, organized, and maintained by a local community organization that is adequately trained and equipped in advance. For wider coverage, the change agent from outside must try to work with local organizations, which have to be organized and strengthened if not already in existence. A well-constituted and efficiently functioning voluntary organization can be an effective social bridge to bring people closer to each other and to channel the services of government and other agencies to all parts of every community. This kind of programme needs workers of a special aptitude and zeal, who cannot be found by the conventional recruitment procedures and methods.
Qualities are more important than formal qualifications or cadre experience.
The programme must be conceived as a joint venture of the people, the government, and other agencies combined, and none of these groups, especially the latter two, can lag behind at any stage if the programme is to be effective, with people's participation as its major ingredient. People's participation is not money alone. If an agency fails to enlist adequate local participation in any activity, the primary blame cannot usually be put on the people. We must blame the agency's own methods, procedures, and commitment to the project. Development may be slow with the participatory approach in its initial stages, and it requires patience and perseverance.