G0290 Basic Public Information Officers Course

Course Overview

This training will equip participants with many of the skills needed to be full or part-time Public Information Officers (PIOs). These include oral and written communications, understanding and working with the media, and basic tools and techniques needed to perform effectively.

This course is an instructor-led training that supports learning through discussion, lecture, and active participation in exercises that provides a realistic, scenario-driven approach to mastering the skills required of a PIO.

Course Objectives

  • Explain why Emergency Public Information is important during an incident
  • Recognize the functional needs and challenges of different audiences
  • Demonstrate the role and function of the PIO in both day-to-day and emergency environments
  • Compare actions PIOs can take to work with the news media
  • Using the strategic communications planning model, develop a public awareness campaign
  • Using the strategic communications planning model, develop an incident communications strategy
  • Using 95% activity scenarios, demonstrate public information skills in the areas of writing, on-camera interviews, media relations, and social media campaigns
  • During an emergency or crisis situation, demonstrate public information skills
  • Update the public information training goals

Target Audience

The primary audiences for this training are individuals who have public information responsibilities as their main job or as an auxiliary function at the state, tribal, local, or territorial level of government.

Duration

Duration: Two days (16 hours)

Required Pre-requisites

Materials