Spokesperson Training

To prepare both government agencies and private organizations to manage the communication aspects of an emergency response, the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) offers customized training courses that help spokespersons improve their communication skills.

These courses have been delivered to thousands of spokespersons across the country, with emphasis on addressing low-trust, high-concern issues such as transportation of radioactive materials, occupational exposure, weapons of mass destruction and other emergency-related events.

ORISE’s spokesperson training covers:

• Trust and credibility
• Verbal and nonverbal communication
• Message development
• Working with the media
• News conference management
• Answering questions

This training provides agency spokespersons with the tools they need to better deliver time-critical information to the public. For public information officers and other spokespersons who may be assigned to a Joint Information Center (JIC), ORISE also developed “JIC in a Box” and Web-PIO to assist public information officers deploy their mobile communication capabilities during an emergency.