6.2: Develop Storyboards

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A storyboard is a description of written ideas and visual imagery.  It describes what will be said in pictures and words, and the order of presentation.  A storyboard helps organize the ideas so that the pieces can be moved around and ordered appropriately.   Storyboards should be used to create any type of material or activity.

  • Prepare a blank copy of the storyboard, Decision Making Tool 6.2: Designing a Storyboard, for EACH material and activity to be developed.
  • Keep the principles of storyboarding in Key Information 6.2 and 6.3 in mind as you develop the storyboards.
  • Use the completed Product 5: Promotion Plan, all parts, and refer to it throughout materials and activities development.
  • Follow the same process for each piece of material and each activity.
  • Compare storyboards on a regular basis to ensure:
    • Consistency;
    • Use of key promise and message;
    • Adherence to the agreed upon Promotion Brief.


Task 6.2.1:        Express the Content Essentials

  • Develop what might need to be said or shared with the target audience to have an impact on the practice to be changed or facilitate a target audience’s adoption of the practice.
  • Ask the following questions as the content essentials are expressed:
    • What must be conveyed to cover the feasible practice and doable steps to adopting this practice?
    • How might this be simplified?
    • How might this be focused?
    • What specifics from the research must be conveyed?
  • Avoid preparing statements, write just the type of issues that might be covered to encourage the audience.
  • Keep it content-light per page/scene/fold – too much content per page/scene/fold can overwhelm the audience.
  • Stick to the ESSENTIALS and remember, focus, focus, focus!

Task 6.2.2:        Describe the Visual Flow

  • Present the same content, but now in pictures.
  • Ask the following questions as the visual flow is described:
    • Does the visual flow tell the story WITHOUT the content essentials?
    • How can the visual flow reinforce the content essentials?
    • What specifics from research must be portrayed?
  • Keep the flow simple and straightforward – too many pictures can confuse the audience.
  • Tell ONLY the story told in the content – both should reinforce the other.

Task 6.2.3:    Apply to Activity Development

  • Read Example 6.3 below on how to use a storyboard for activity development:

Senegal developed a handwashing campaign that utilized hand and soap costumes as well as skits to demonstrate and encourage discussions among school children on what, why, and how to wash hands.  In the initial stages of development, the promotion team used a storyboard concept to develop the script for the skits as well as think about placement of characters and objects needed to perform this skit.  Each visual description box on the storyboard contained a description of where each character would stand, facial expressions, what the character would be doing, and with what objects.  In the basic content space, they included information on what must be said and what might be used as a transition from one scene to the next.  In this way, they were able to better organize the flow, ensure that all information was included and that non-verbal actions corresponded to verbal scripts.  They found, for example, that they had totally forgotten about having a bar of soap in two scenes or that they needed real water for one of the scenes until they were reviewing the storyboard.  The storyboard thus saved them time and challenges by having all the needed objects in place for the first run-through.