Principles and Techniques of Veterinary and AH Extension

INTRODUCTION 

• Key communicators or opinion leaders are persons in any social system who are sought out for information and advice on general or specific topics.
• Rogers and Kincoid (1981)define opinion leadership as the degree to which an individual is able to informally influence other’s knowledge, attitudes, or overt behaviour in a desired way with relative frequency. It is assumed that such persons are respected persons in each social system to whom some people look for advice and information and who through such consultations, influence their behaviour and actions.
• The concept of key communicator was first developed by Katz & Lazarfield etal (1944). Since then they have been variously called as fashion leaders, influencers, information leaders, opinion leaders, spark plugs, style-setters, taste- makers etc. However, all these names have been used more or less for individuals operating in a social system who are more important in the communication of information than others. Research evidence suggests that each social system has its own opinion leaders.