Strategic Communications for Public Leaders | Center for Executive Leadership in Government

Date(s)	Course Title	Delivery Method	Fee	Course Code
Next Offering: Spring 2025 Feb 24-March 21 (Tentative)	Strategic Communications for Public Leaders	FULLY ONLINE ASYNCHRONOUS (Canvas)	$750

Registration Form (PDF)

Program Overview

The Leadership Certificate series features public management topics geared to municipal managers, administrators, finance officers, governing body members, department heads, and elected officials as well as nonprofit professionals. The Strategic Communications for Public Leaders program consists of four core course modules that are offered in an order where content and concepts are built upon as the series progresses.

By the end of this program, you will be able to:

Discuss the importance of communication planning in public organization
Identify target audiences and needs
Develop strategies to develop and use digital communications
Employ strategies for generating media coverage
Develop a communications plan

Essential skills for today's public communicator

Develop essential skills to communicate with constituents and within organizations

Program instructors have worked in the public sector and understand communication challenges and opportunities. You will be introduced to new strategies to enhance communications and increase constituent engagement. Participants are provided tools and resources that can be used in their organizations.

Online Program

The online asynchronous online program includes four modules to complete at your own pace over four weeks. In each module, you are supported by a facilitator who will guide you through your work and answer your questions. Each module will follow the same format:

Reading and multimedia reviewed at your own pace
Learning activities for you to practice and check understanding
A discussion thread to engage in conversation about current issues

While this course is asynchronous, it is important to note that assignment deadlines must be met to ensure your progress and success in the course. These deadlines have been carefully chosen to facilitate a cohesive learning experience and to allow for timely feedback from instructors.

For information related to taking our online courses, visit our Online Course Information page.

Program Topics

The following are modules in the four-week program that are instructed by subject matter experts and practitioners. The first four are required to be completed in order to earn a certificate and the fifth module is available for all participants to complete if they choose so.

Image of the planning meeting

Communication is essential to nearly everything your municipality or nonprofit organization undertakes. This hands-on workshop takes participants through the steps of developing a communication plan for any type of activity, from setting goals and identifying key audiences and messages, to selecting tactics and establishing timelines and budgets. Working in teams, participants will develop communication plans for real initiatives.

Course Goals:

Understand the importance of communication planning and pitfalls of not planning
Identify key audiences; develop key messages
Understand when and how to use social media, news releases, email and other tactics.
Working in teams, complete an actual communication plan for a participant’s organization or municipal initiative.

image of social media icons on a cellphone

Facebook, Twitter, Vimeo, Pinterest - the social media options available are overwhelming! But which platform is best for your organizations and which can meet your communications needs? This course will review how the right social media tools can be used in community engagement and public relations. The course materials include a toolkit for getting started with social media for personal and municipal use. Tips on setting a social media policy for your municipal employees will also be discussed.

Course Goals:

Explore how to integrate social media into existing communication efforts
Discuss time-saving strategies for content creation
Discuss how to manage a municipality or organization's social media efforts
Discuss strategies for addressing social media trolls and other pests
Explore effective public sector social media efforts

image of chair and desk with computers and other electronic devices

Today's government websites are multi-faceted. They deliver services, provide information, process requests, and inform the public. In this hands-on workshop, you will become familiar with the best practices in government website design and how it can be transformed into digital engagement portal through effective design, SEO, and analytics.

Course Goals:

Explore best practices in website design and user engagement
Analyze websites for the use of best practices
Identify strategies to develop relevant and accessible content
Develop strategies to improve a website

Image of a camera men at an event

The news media can be a valuable conduit of important information to your key audiences. But working with the media can be challenging, as any public official knows. This workshop will discuss strategies for promoting “good” news and dealing with “bad” news; using social media vs. traditional media; developing productive relationships with reporters; the difference between hype and news; and the pros and cons of press conferences.

Course Goals:

Understand different media types (mainstream, print, trade, professional, community vs. daily papers, periodicals, online publications) and how their differences determine your approach
Learn tactics for being quoted accurately; getting good news reported.
Develop organizational policies and procedures for communicating with the media
Examine recent examples of good and mediocre media coverage
Learn components of a news release or announcement (who, what, where, when, how).

Certification (CEU's)

Communication Planning and Content Creation for Public Organizations

CMFO/CCFO:
- Office Management & Ancillary Subjects – 2.5 hours
- Information Technology – – 2.5 hours
CTC:
- General/Secondary – 2.5 hours
- Information Technology – – 2.5 hours
CPWM:
- Management – 2.5 hours
- Information Technology – – 2.5 hours
RMC:
- Professional Development – 2.5 hours
- Information Technology – – 2.5 hours
QPA:
- Office Admin./General Duties – 2.5 hours
- Information Technology – – 2.5 hours

CMFO/CCFO:
- Office Management & Ancillary Subjects – 2.5 hours
- Information Technology – – 2.5 hours
CTC:
- General/Secondary – 2.5 hours
- Information Technology – – 2.5 hours
CPWM:
- Management – 2.5 hours
- Information Technology – – 2.5 hours
RMC:
- Professional Development – 2.5 hours
- Information Technology – – 2.5 hours
QPA:
- Office Admin./General Duties – 2.5 hours
- Information Technology – – 2.5 hours

CMFO/CCFO:
- Office Management & Ancillary Subjects – 2.5 hours
- Information Technology – – 2.5 hours
CTC:
- General/Secondary – 2.5 hours
- Information Technology – – 2.5 hours
CPWM:
- Management – 2.5 hours
- Information Technology – – 2.5 hours
RMC:
- Professional Development – 2.5 hours
- Information Technology – – 2.5 hours
QPA:
- Office Admin./General Duties – 2.5 hours
- Information Technology – – 2.5 hours

CMFO/CCFO:
- Office Management & Ancillary Subjects – 2.5 hours
- Information Technology – – 2.5 hours
CTC:
- General/Secondary – 2.5 hours
- Information Technology – – 2.5 hours
CPWM:
- Management – 2.5 hours
- Information Technology – – 2.5 hours
RMC:
- Professional Development – 2.5 hours
- Information Technology – – 2.5 hours
QPA:
- Office Admin./General Duties – 2.5 hours
- Information Technology – – 2.5 hours