Course Description
Study the foundational elements of public communications and its many facets. You'll cover everything from employee communication to media relations, to the changing nature of public communications in a digital landscape. The course content will blend a theoretical overview with a practical application of public communications, focusing on learning by doing – writing, public speaking, media relations and more – on your own and with your peers. Participants will recognize how strategic public communications enables an organization to create and maintain meaningful relationships with its ‘public,’ safeguard its reputation, and communicate effectively in an information-laden society.
Course Outline
Section 1: The Fundamentals of Public Communications
- Introduction to Public Communications
- The Requisite Skills for Public Communications
- Writing: Communication Tactics
- Public Speaking: Speeches & Presentations
Section 2: The Key Disciplines of Public Communications
- Internal & External Communication
- Media Relations
- Social Media/Public Communications in the Digital Landscape
- Brand, Image, Reputation Management, Issues Management & Crisis Communication
Section 3: The Strategic Elements of Public Communications
- Communication Auditing
- Communication Planning & Strategy
- Corporate Social Responsibility & Public Communications Ethics
- Public Communications’ Fit in an Organization & Individual and Collective Responsibilities for the Public Communications function; Public Communications as a Management Function and a Critical Leadership Skill.
What You Will Learn
Participants will learn how to:
- Analyze communication methods, create strategic communication practices, recognize the ethical and social responsibilities that accompany public communications, and realize the individual and collective responsibilities of the public communications function and its importance as a critical leadership skill.
- Implement practical public communications tactics and strategies through your newly-honed public communications skills.
Microcredential
This course provides learners with the opportunity to earn a microcredential. A microcredential is evidence of a skill or competency that is employment related. Dalhousie microcredentials are developed in collaboration with employers, industries, and/or organizations that relate to the content.Program Design A microcredential can be displayed on social media pages, digital resumes, personal webpages, and in email signatures. To earn the microcredential in this course, learners will need to successfully complete a competency-based assessment.
To learn more about microcredentials and how they can enhance your learning portfolio, watch this 30-second YouTube video (video opens in a new window).
Notes
The Faculty of OLCD recommends an intermediate level of English language proficiency for the most effective learning and participation in our online and face-to-face courses. A list of minimum recommended scores on some common English tests can be found on our website. If you have questions about your English language proficiency and ability to succeed in this course, please contact openlearning@dal.ca.
Prerequisites
There are no prerequisites for this course.Recommended For
This course is recommended for anyone interested in strengthening relationships with an organization’s internal and external stakeholders or committed to building their communication skills. Whether you’re a new employee or a retiree, an executive or on the front lines, customer-facing or behind the scenes, everyone in an organization has a role to play in effective public communications. It’s also strongly recommended for anyone considering career advancement given that public communications and communication in general are critical leadership skills.
Applies Towards the Following Certificates
- Certificate in Human Resource Leadership : Required
- Certificate in Police Leadership : Elective
- Post-Graduate Certificate in Human Resource Leadership : Required
- Post-Graduate Diploma in Professional and Leadership Studies : Required - Human Resource Leadership
- Public Safety Communicator Leadership Certificate : Electives
Theresa is a public relations professional with a Bachelor of Public Relations, Master of Arts in Communication and 25 years’ communications experience. She has had the privilege of working with a municipal police service, two international airlines and an airport authority, providing strategic counsel to senior leaders in each of these roles. She has documented crisis communications plans for various organizations and effectively managed internal communications at Air Canada during 9/11, and crisis communications for various public safety issues, including the 2018 runway overrun of a B747 cargo aircraft in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Additionally, she has 16 years’ experience serving as a spokesperson.
Don, who possesses a Bachelor of Arts, has served in senior executive roles in municipal and provincial government as well as a not-for-profit organization. He was a police officer for 35 years, during which he was a skilled mediator, crisis negotiator, suicide intervention trainer and a coordinator and instructor of critical incident training; all of these skills are highly transferable to strategic communications. He was also the Public Information Officer for a municipal police service for three years and served as a spokesperson from a management perspective for another seven. Since 2018, he has enjoyed serving as an instructor in the Faculty of Open Learning & Career Development at Dalhousie University. Since 2019, he has co-owned/operated a boutique public relations agency, meeting various client’s diverse, strategic communications needs.