Mayara Paz Costa (photo) is a journalist and coordinator of the Cinema Department of FEB, the Brazilian Spiritist Federation, in the capital, Brasília. She was born in São Carlos, in the state of São Paulo, spent her childhood in Teresina (Piauí) and lived in the Belgian capital, Brussels. She has MBAs in Communication Management and Marketing. In the following interview, she speaks about Spiritist media and communication:

Where does your passion for the area of communication come from?

I’ve always tried to work for good causes and to spread positive messages. And in the communication and media field we are able to do exactly that, through the production of texts, audios, videos and artworks. More importantly, we have the opportunity to disseminate ideas and goals. I realised there was an opportunity there to spread messages that will help us build a better society, built on solid values. It initially looked like an utopian idea, but time showed me that was a reality. I’m happy to work in my field of expertise, in the dissemination of peace, encouraging so many people to study the Gospel and to live according to its principles. 

What interests you the most within the communication process?

It’s the content that each message conveys. To effectively reach the receptor and a wide range of profiles, we must work on the different aspects of the message and the various ways of sending it. That is even more relevant now, because of the speed in which messages are exchanged and the impact of the social networks, which highlight the importance of audiovisual formats. But the focus of anyone who works in the area of communication must be the content that he wants to send in his message. If we lose focus on the content, which is essentially the message, we will have to deal with a situation that is unfortunately so common these days: we have in our hands a wide range of tools with unprecedented reach that are used to spread content of dubious quality and fake or plainly wrong news. 

What is more important: the format or the content? How to combine both aspects for better efficiency?

Unity is always beneficial in an effective communication process, be it unity in the process of speaking and listening, in sending and receiving messages or in putting something forward and being understood. But to complement the previous question, the content will always determine what message we convey, to whom and in which format. We must act with care and integrity in the whole communication process and we must pay special attention to what we are reporting – the facts, the message, the subject we are talking about. 

What advice would you give, based on your experience, to Spiritist organisations aiming to develop a more dynamic and efficient communication department? What should be the priorities?

It’s interesting to observe that those who work in Spiritist communication and media have at their disposal several tools. But they must bear in mind that the dissemination of the Gospel must reach different audiences: an internal, an external and a mixed one. That is very positive, as it widens the reach of the message, but it’s also a challenge that we shouldn’t overlook. All of us, volunteer workers, those employed by Spiritist organisations, those who buy Spiritist books, the media etc, we must be aware of that. It is a good challenge that we have in our hands, that of sending a message of comfort to so many people, through a wide range of channels. 

It’s also important to take into account how the combined use of different tools and media can boost their efficiency. Social media doesn't exclude the use of a board in Spiritist Centres, in the same way that radio didn’t end when TV was developed. We still have, side by side, newspapers and online media. And the cinema will never replace the book, which is the basis of all our actions. We must observe our target audience and, most of all, hear what they have to say, by analysing the scenario and putting ourselves in their position. Who will I send the Spiritist Teachings to? The audience is an essential part of the work of all communicators. We need to receive feedback and we must interact with the audience. That will show us the best way of optimising our efforts, of measuring our achievements and reassessing the message, if necessary, in order to reach more assertive and dynamic forms of communication. And we must, of course, remain faithful to the principles of Spiritism as we carry out our duties in the communication and media areas of the Spiritist Movement. We must unite and coordinate actions with other Spiritist organisations across Brazil and the world. This exchange of ideas and experiences gives us new perspectives and we all learn from it. 

What is the best technique and the best media to disseminate any event or project in the Spiritist Movement?