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Description

Public Sector Communication: Framing, Writing and Releasing Your Messages

Communicating on behalf of an institution while meeting its obligations and remaining understood by the public

  • 2 days — 14 h
  • In-person or virtual
  • Foundation
  • Up to 6 participants

A government communication team receives requests from every direction and answers them as they arrive. Materials pile up without a clear editorial line, administrative vocabulary makes messages unreadable for residents and service users, and the constraints specific to public bodies — institutional neutrality, approval routes, confidentiality — are discovered far too late.

These two days establish both the framework and the method. Participants identify what sets public sector communication apart from other forms of communication, build a communication plan from a vaguely worded request, learn to write in plain and accessible language, and prepare to hold the institutional line in sensitive situations.

Learning objectives

  • Distinguish public sector communication from institutional advocacy and advertising
  • Identify the obligations specific to speaking on behalf of an institution
  • Turn a vaguely worded request into a communication plan with measurable objectives
  • Write a message in plain language accessible to service users
  • Select the channels and release schedule suited to the target audiences
  • Prepare the institution's response in sensitive situations

What makes this programme different

Administrative documents brought by participants are rewritten in plain language and then tested on a non-specialist reader
The communication plan is built from a deliberately imprecise request
A crisis sequence is role-played with public reactions to be handled in real time

Programme

1What Makes Public Sector Communication Different

Speaking in the name of the public interest

  • Boundaries between public sector communication, institutional advocacy and advertising
  • Duty to inform and expectations of transparency
  • Institutional neutrality, duty of discretion and approval routes before publication
  • Expectations of service users, senior officials and staff
  • The place of the communication function within the organisation

2Strategy and Communication Plan

Moving from a vague request to a plan

  • Scoping the request and formulating measurable objectives
  • Audience segmentation and matching messages
  • Choice of channels and release schedule
  • Budget in AED, internal resources and use of external agencies
  • Evaluation of activities and reporting back to the requesting department

3Writing and Designing for Service Users

Being understood first time

  • Writing in plain language and testing message readability
  • Brand guidelines and consistency across materials
  • Accessibility of content and of public-facing websites
  • Adapting the message to print, to the website and to social media
  • Working with journalists and structuring a press release

4Sensitive Situations and Relations with the Public

Holding the institutional line under pressure

  • Anticipating sensitive topics and setting up the crisis unit
  • Appointing the spokesperson and framing the agreed messages
  • Moderating comments and responding to criticism
  • Handling rumours and correcting inaccurate information
  • Returning to business-as-usual communication after the episode

Who is it for

Communication officers in government entities and public establishments · employees who carry out this mission alongside their main role · public sector managers responsible for informing service users.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites

Dates & locations

36 scheduled dates between November 2026 and December 2027. Seats are confirmed in the order enquiries are received.

November 2026

December 2026

January 2027

February 2027

March 2027

April 2027

May 2027

June 2027

September 2027

October 2027

November 2027

December 2027

None of these dates suit you? We open additional sessions on request, and any programme can be run privately for your team.

Practical details

Before the programme
Online positioning questionnaire. Your development objectives are shared with the trainer, who tailors the practical case studies to your context.
Teaching methods
Theoretical input, workshops and practical case studies. Digital course materials and method sheets provided.
Assessment
Multiple-choice tests and role-play exercises. Assessment of learning at the start and end of the programme, with immediate and 60-day follow-up evaluations.
After the programme
One year of access to the e-learning platform. Self-assessment of the skills acquired and a 30-day follow-up session with your trainer.
How to register
Registration online or on the basis of a quotation.
Lead time
11 working days after confirmation of registration.
Accessibility
Accessible to people of determination. Contact our accessibility coordinator to design a suitable solution: contact@mpf-academy.ae
Start dates
Rolling intake: in addition to the scheduled sessions, this programme can start on request.