Communications for the Public, Private,

This course will train students to become communications directors and spokespeople for government agencies, for-profit companies, or nonprofit organizations. We will provide a detailed overview of the extensive role that communications play in a given organization. The discussions and exercises in this course use current events to demonstrate how communications interact with and affect every area of business and organizational operations. The daily and weekly assignments are similar to what real communications executives do regularly. We focus on real-world examples to train you to think and react like a communications executive. The course will also invite high-level guest speakers to share their experiences and expertise in different areas of communication. Students who take this course will become familiar with how to work with the press and the nuances of media relations; how to write press releases, speeches, and executive communications; the importance of internal communications and corporate culture in employee acquisition and retention; media training; developing strategic public relations plans for internal and external communications; and how to develop crisis communications strategies. Prior public relations courses and experience are not required; however, exceptional English writing and grammar skills are strongly recommended for students to succeed in this class. Hagar Chemali runs a next-generation news media brand and hosts its weekly world news show on YouTube called Oh My World! She has also advised a range of clients on strategic communications. She worked in the U.S. government for over 12 years in different senior public affairs and policy-making positions in national security.