Harnessing Iconography to Communicate with Diverse Communities

Anita CeravoloCommunity Development - Access & Inclusion – Auburn City Council

Overview of Auburn CitySuburbs

Population

Communication Challenges

Overview of Auburn CitySuburbs Include:• Auburn

• Berala

• Lidcombe

• Regents Park

• Rookwood

• Silverwater

• Sydney Olympic Park

• Wentworth Point

• Newington

Overview of Auburn CityPopulation: 85.446• 56.9% born overseas (126 countries)

• 27% arrived in Australia in last 5 years

• 71% speak a language other than English

• 18.7% are not fluent in English

• 15.4% of the population have some form of disability

• 4.5% have a profound to severe disability

• 10% of residents are caring for a person with disability

Overview of Auburn CityCommunication Challenges:

• 67 languages

• Illiteracy

• Transient population

• Low home internet access

• Layers of disadvantage :Poverty, education levels, asylum seeker population.

• Cultural stigma associated with ageing and disability

Icons as a Communication ToolThe Power of Icons

Icons as a Communication ToolThe Power of Icons

• Combining icons with text improves communication and learning by 89%

• People remember 10% of what they hear, 20% of what they read, but 80% of what they see

• 83% of human learning occurs visually

Icons as a Communication ToolThe Power of Icons

• Communicate information faster than words

• Can be understood by diverse audiences 

• Can communicate a lot of information without taking up a lot of space 

• Icons can visually define a concept

Auburn Case StudiesCommunity Consultations

Talking Care of Our Seniors

Community Services Directory

Auburn Case StudiesCommunity Consultations

Consulting with CALD communities

• Wordless consultation exercise

• Surveys translated into six languages

• Consultations delivered to existing social groupings in own language

Auburn Case Studies

Taking Care of Our Seniors

Engaging with CALD Communities

• A referral pathway for isolated seniors

• Community Partnership

• Utilised existing resources

Auburn Case Studies

Community Services Directory

Communicating with CALD Communities

• Two referral pathways

• Icons to demonstrate service types

• Translated into 12 languages

Benefits & DisadvantagesBenefits

Disadvantages

Best Practice

Benefits & Disadvantages

Benefits

• Cost effective

• Communication efficiency

• Avoid confusion in messages

Benefits & Disadvantages

Disadvantages

• Some concepts are not easy to represent visually

• Interpretation of icons can vary, based on background, experience and perspective

• No database

Benefits & Disadvantages

Best Practice

• Icons to supplement text-based communication

• Consult with communities to test the image and text

• Partner with cultural organisations to distribute

• For residents

Icons as Part of a CALD Communication StrategyResearch the Community

Develop Strategic Partnerships

Foster Leadership

Part of a CALD Communication Strategy

Research the Community

Cultural Diversity & Social Identity

• Social identity can facilitate or inhibit communication

• Certain issues can be stigmatised by social groups

• Inter group rivalry

Part of a CALD Communication StrategyDevelop Strategic Partnerships

Which organisations can help you communicate to CALD groups, address issues and build capacity in the community?

• Interagencies

• Events

• Projects

• Public Communication

Part of a CALD Communication StrategyFoster Leadership

Work with Community Leaders

• Surveys

• Online activity

• Forums & Workshops

• Focus groups

• Events

References:• “Visual Language and Converging Technologies in the Next 10-15 Years and

Beyond” by Robert E. Horn, Stanford University, Dec. 2001.

• “Syntactic Theory of Visual Communication” by Paul Martin Lester, California State University at Fullerton, 1994–1996.

• “Presenting Effective Presentations with Visual Aids” by U.S. Department of Labor, OSHA Office of Training and Education, May 1996.

• “Ethnicity and the Stigma of Disabilities” Psychology and Health, 16, 699 – 714, Saetermoe,C.L, Scattone, D. & Kim, K.H. 2001.

Questions