This brief guide presents a summary of traditional methods of communicating, like street theatre, puppet shows, and songs and dance, and their use to communicate messages related to development. The guide is an offspring of ICIMOD’s Alternative Media Project funded by Ford Foundation, which ran from 2002 to 2005. The aim was to explore traditional media and forms of communication in local communities and use them to deliver messages that could contribute to the improvement of livelihoods. Development organisations and other knowledge providers can develop alternative media products in partnership with a community and then communities themselves can carry out the process of delivering information. The process empowers communities because they control the creation and transmission of useful information. The guide was prepared to share the experiences of the project with others interested in development communications at the grassroots level. It presents some of the project activities, and describes different types of media and how and when they can be used.