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Public Information 101: The Role, the Reality, and the First 90 Days
New to the role, or new to PIO Toolkit? This is the one to take first.
An honest, practical foundation for anyone doing public information work in government, whether you were hired for the role, voluntold into it, or are covering communications on top of an entirely different job.Nobody tells you what you're
Coming Soon(3)
Register your interest and be the first to know when these courses launch. Annual members get immediate access on release.
New · Self-Paced Course
When AI answers for your agency, make sure it's your answer.
A practical introduction to Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) for government communicators. Understand how AI assistants decide which sources to trust, which of your pages and posts actually matter, and how to prioritise strategically — so your official information becomes the answer residents get, not an outdated forum post or a confident guess.
- How AI chooses its sources
- Where to focus first
- A strategic method to prioritise
- Worksheet, self-check & resource library
A self-paced course you can take anytime — lessons, worksheet, self-check, and a resource library.
Included free for PIO Toolkit Annual members.
Warnings That Work: Writing, Testing, and Proving the Value of Emergency Alerts
Launching soon
An advanced, self-paced course on writing warnings people act on, reaching every resident who needs them, finding out af
Recruitment Communications for Public Safety
Launching November 2026
A practical, self-paced course for the communicator who has been handed recruitment for police, fire and EMS, or the 911
Available Now(28)
AI in the PIO's Office: Using It Well, Writing the Policy, Keeping Public Trust
5 lessons · 34 sections
A practical, self-paced course on using generative AI in a government communications office without losing the public's
Getting Found by AI: Making Your Content the Answer AI Reaches For
4 lessons · 32 sections
A practical, self-paced course on making your official information the answer residents get when they ask an AI assistan
Communication Strategy for Government Communicators
6 lessons · 48 sections
A practical, self-paced course on building a communication strategy for a government organization: one short enough to u
Analytics and Measurement for Government Communicators
6 lessons · 48 sections
A practical, self-paced course on measuring what government communications actually changes, and on reporting it honestl
The New Media Landscape for Government Communicators
6 lessons · 48 sections
An advanced, self-paced course on finding out where your residents actually get local information, and building a commun
Accessible Government Communications: ADA, Plain Language, and What the Law Now Requires
6 lessons · 48 sections
A practical, self-paced course on making government communications accessible and plain: what federal law now requires,
The Solo PIO: Systems, Survival, and Making Your Case
6 lessons · 48 sections
You are more common than you think. More than a third of government communicators work completely alone — handling every
Setting Up a PIO Office from Scratch
6 lessons · 48 sections
A practical, self-paced course for the communicator who has been asked to build a communications function where none rea
When Someone in Your Org Is the Story: Internal Incidents and Misconduct Communications
6 lessons · 48 sections
A practical, self-paced course for the moments when the story is about one of your own people: an employee arrested, an
The Legal Landscape: What Every US Government Communicator Needs to Know
6 lessons · 48 sections
You don't need a law degree. But you do need to know enough law to stay out of serious trouble — and to recognize the mo
The Internal Game: Navigating Politics, Pressure, and Professional Resilience
6 lessons · 48 sections
A practical, self-paced course on the parts of government communications that never appear in the job description: the p
Social Media Strategy for Government Communicators
6 lessons · 48 sections
Social media is not a strategy. It's a channel. This course is about understanding the difference — and building an appr
Working with Leadership and Elected Officials
6 lessons · 48 sections
Nobody prepares you for the politics. The leader who rewrites your carefully crafted statement ten minutes before it goe
Your Organization as a News Source
6 lessons · 48 sections
A practical, self-paced course on running your communications office as a reliable local news source: the publishing sys
Spontaneous Protests and Public Messaging
6 lessons · 48 sections
A practical, self-paced course on communicating through a demonstration that forms at short notice, from the first confi
Building a Subject Matter Expert Program
6 lessons · 48 sections
A practical, self-paced course on finding the people inside your organization who know the work best, preparing them to
Building Community Trust After Controversy
6 lessons · 48 sections
An advanced, self-paced course on the long, honest work that comes after a controversy: rebuilding credibility with a co
Crisis Communication: Planning, Response, and Recovery
6 lessons · 48 sections
A practical, self-paced course on the whole life of a crisis, from spotting it on the horizon to rebuilding trust afterw
Community Engagement 101
5 lessons · 40 sections
A practical, self-paced introduction to community engagement for government communicators: how to ask the public for inp
Building a Strong Social Media Policy
8 lessons · 56 sections
A practical, self-paced course on writing or rewriting your organization's social media policy so it stands up legally,
Interview Skills for the PIO
7 lessons · 56 sections
A practical, self-paced course on preparing for and giving media interviews as a government communicator, from the first
Crafting Great Media Releases
6 lessons · 48 sections
A practical, self-paced course on writing media releases that get used, get the facts right, and still hold up when the
Media Relations Masterclass
7 lessons · 56 sections
An advanced, self-paced course for experienced government communicators on the judgment calls that decide whether report
Handling Misinformation in the Moment
8 lessons · 56 sections
A practical, self-paced course on the decisions government communicators face when a false claim about their organizatio
Handling First Amendment Auditors, Influencers, and Citizen Journalists
9 lessons · 63 sections
A practical, self-paced course on preparing your whole organization for the people who film government at work, from Fir
AI-Generated Threats: Responding as a PIO
8 lessons · 56 sections
A practical, self-paced course for government communicators on spotting, verifying and responding to AI-generated fakes,
When the Systems Go Down: Communicating Through a Cyberattack
8 lessons · 57 sections
An advanced, self-paced course for government communicators on what to say, and how to say it, when a ransomware attack