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Intro
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Public Information 101: The Role, the Reality, and the First 90 Days

Public Information 101: The Role, the Reality, and the First 90 Days
$69USD

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About this course

Nobody tells you what you're actually walking into. This course does. Whether you were hired for the role, voluntold, or are covering communications on top of an entirely different job — this is the honest, practical foundation you need.

Drawing on Christine Townsend's book The Frontline Communicator, this course covers what the role really involves, the skills that actually matter, and the steps to take in your first 90 days to set yourself up for long-term success.

Read a sample from this course

Beyond the Job Description

If you ask ten different people what a communicator does, you'll get ten different answers. A writer. A spokesperson. A crisis manager. A social media manager. A brand builder. In truth, you're all of these — and usually several of them at once, often on the same morning.

The official definition says a Public Information Officer is responsible for managing communication between an organization and the public. That's accurate but wildly incomplete. What the job description rarely captures is the reality: you're often the person who gets called when nobody else knows what to do, asked to weigh in on things that are nobody's official responsibility, and expected to produce clear, accurate, compassionate communication under conditions that would make most people freeze.

You are also, whether you signed up for this or not, the conscience of your organization. The communicator is often the first person to notice when something is off — in tone, in timing, in optics — and the one expected to raise it. That takes courage. It also takes a clear understanding of what your role actually is, beyond the day-to-day tasks.

This lesson starts there: with an honest picture of what you've walked into.

Keep reading — this course continues with 5 more lessons and 31 more sections.

What you'll learn

Understand what the communicator role really involves — not the job description version
Identify the skills that separate good communicators from great ones
Navigate the solo or part-time PIO reality with practical strategies
Use empathy and active listening as professional tools
Make the case for your role and your value within your organization
Build the foundations you need in your first 90 days
6 lessons
Self-paced
Certificate of completion
Lifetime access

Course Curriculum

Full access upon enrollment
  1. 1.Beyond the Job Description
  2. 2.The Many Hats You Wear
  3. 3.The Different Names for This Role
  4. 4.You Are a Leader of Narrative, Trust, and Clarity
  5. 5.What This Role Is — and What It Isn't
  6. 6.Key Takeaways
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