On Wednesday, April 10, the City of Roseville was awarded with CAPIO’s first Best-in-Show EPIC award in the large population field for its Engage Roseville program--a campaign that represented top notch strategic communications research, design, planning and evaluation.
The City of Roseville was at a crossroads.
This June/July Summer issue of the CAPIO Communicator brings you not only highlights upcoming trainings and webinar events that will be happening throughout July and August, but also details CAPIO’s City of Roseville’s Engage Roseville Campaign that took Best-in-Show during the 2019 annual conference. We hope to see you online or in-person!
Back by popular demand, is a summer reading list of books and podcasts that will help keep your skills, creativity and storytelling sharp. Whether you’re staying local or traveling far, we wish you the best and safe summer season. Share your summer photos with us at #capiotravels and/or #capiodoessummer and we may repost on our social media platforms.
Summer's just started but CAPIO's event calendar is full of workshops, webinars, tours and networking events through the end of this year. Recent events have included regional branding workshops, a networking harbor tour of the Port of Long Beach, a Sacramento-area networking mixer and a webinar on redesigning your agency's website.
CAPIO's also partnered with Edelman, one of the largest global public relations firms, to bring its "Trust Barometer" presentation to our members in both northern and southern California. This important presentation detailed Edelman's 2019 research on how public trust has changed profoundly during the past year and how that affects our roles as public-sector communicators.
Another new CAPIO collaboration for 2019 is with Pepperdine University's Davenport Institute for Public Engagement and Civic Leadership. In June, CAPIO members leveled up their digital communications outreach through learning best practices and tips to successfully engage with the communities they serve as part of Pepperdine's "Government 2.0 Technology and Public Engagement" training. All CAPIO attendees received a Pepperdine Certificate for completing the course.
Social media offers government agencies unprecedented opportunities for engagement with the public. Never before has it been so easy to disseminate information or engage in two-way conversations with constituents.
But while the benefits of social media in terms of increased openness and engagement are significant, the technology also introduces certain demands on public information officials that can quickly become overwhelming. To engage in social media activity is to open the door to countless rapid interactions that are all governed by the same rules and regulations as other forms of official government communication.
CAPIO's facebook feed hinted for several weeks that something new was afoot and we were excited to showcase our new wordmark and brand at CAPIO's Annual Conference in Newport Beach on April 10, 2019.
In case you missed it - enjoy this Video Unveil.
CAPIO’s 2019 conference in Newport Beach was one for the record books!
Thank you to the 500 government communications professionals that helped us set an all-time attendance record for our annual conference. We had a registration waiting list for the first time ever.
by Scott Summerfield, Principal, SAE Communications
and
David Newdorf, Attorney, Newdorf Legal
California Public Records Act (PRA) requests – once the almost-exclusive domain of the media – have exploded in recent years, with many agencies adding staff to cope with demands of these often-complicated queries. Requests come from the public far more frequently now, and while they’re certainly a legitimate window into how government does business, they can also be a point of angst and frustration for the requestor, the PIO, and legal counsel if not handled efficiently.
CAPIO celebrated excellence in public information and communication during our April 10 EPIC Awards Dinner held in conjunction with the 2019 CAPIO Annual Conference in Newport Beach. Recipients of the prestigious Paul B. Clark Award, Communicator of the Year Award and Frank Potter Cowan Crisis Communications Leader of the Year Award were named; 49 EPIC awards were given out and 48 Awards of Distinction recognized agencies across the state for their top-notch work in government communications. New this year, three "Best of Show" EPIC Awards were handed out. Recipients competed in a field of 212 entries judged by more than 70 communications professional peers from across the nation.
We’re professional communicators, so we all know the reason why the traditional media have experienced a slow and painful descent: Advertising revenue has gone elsewhere, or purely DIY for business owners. That’s left little funding to pay for good journalism. I don’t see this turning around. Do you?
The information void is widening, and somebody must step up and inform residents what’s going on in our towns, cities and counties. We’d prefer that “somebody” isn’t a gossip columnist or serial social media commenter. As much as we PIOs groan over awkward headlines in the paper or scandalous story angles taken by certain reporters, coverage in the traditional media is more often a blessing than a curse. As that coverage dwindles, resident knowledge of our work dwindles, too.
The public information landscape has changed incredibly over the last few years. Whether simply engaging with constituents on a day-to-day basis or planning for an emergency, social media forms an important part of just about every communication strategy.
But while the benefits of social media to public information officials is undeniable, it also introduces certain challenges. To engage in social media activity is to open the door to countless rapid two-way conversations that are all governed by the same rules and regulations as other forms of official government communication.
Would you like to be more involved with CAPIO? Be a Board Member! Volunteers are needed to serve on CAPIO's 2019-2021 Board of Directors. Your expertise and experience is needed to help guide CAPIO into another great year!
Click here for the 2019-2021 Board of Directors nomination form. To nominate yourself, log-in wth your member password first. A brief description of each open position is provided on the form. Board meetings are held monthly via conference call and in person twice a year.
Celebrate Your Accomplishments – The Importance (and Value) of Telling Your Story
By Krista Noonan, director of communications, CalSTRS
Getting Organized: The 3 Documents Every PIO Needs to Manage Work and Stay Sane
By Tanya Castaneda, APR Vice President, Public Relations, Manolatos Nelson Murphy, Inc.2018 CAPIO Communicator of the YearAs the Public Information Officer for a large government agency, I touched hundreds of pieces of content per week, from web copy and speaking points to video scripts and social media plans. In one year alone, my team issued 125 press releases. At the same time, I was also responsible for strategic planning, managing a team and leading dozens of projects, from developing a crisis communications strategy to implementing an annual tour program.
Nominations Open for Special CAPIO Awards Until March 8, 2019
Do you have a colleague or mentor who has reached EPIC heights? Nominate them now for one of CAPIO's most prestigious awards: the Paul B. Clark Award, the Communicator of the Year Award or the Frank Potter Cowan Crisis Communications Leader Award.
It’s that time of year! Whether your communications are in rough waters or cruising in smooth sailing, the CAPIO Annual Conference has something for communicators from all tides. From April 8-11, 2019, communicators from all over California and the West Coast will set anchor in Newport Beach for its annual conference, themed “Charting Your Course.”
More than 100 communications professionals from multi-jurisdictions statewide came together for the first annual Cal OES and CAPIO Emergency Communications Academy, January 7-8 in Sacramento. Kicking off the two-day conference was Kelly Huston, with the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services and Christine Brainerd, CAPIO President and City of Folsom’s Communications Director.
The first day was packed with dynamic speakers that had led communications strategies during high-profile emergency incidents including mass shootings, mudslides, train derailments, and airport safety and security. Each presenter brought passion and knowledge, and openly shared key take-a-ways from their experience. In addition, Cal OES staff gave a brief summary of Joint Information Center protocols and procedures.
In November PIOs from across the state joined Butte County PIOs in the aftermath of the devastating #CampFire. PIOs from across California came to support. From the JIC we share stories from Paul Hosley from West Sacramento along with Adriane Mertens and Misti Harris from Santa Rosa who knew firsthand how the community and their fellow PIOs were feeling in the midst of the disaster and the recovery. Additionally, we share a story from Brandon Vaccaro who assists CAL FIRE Incident Management Teams on large-scale incidents.
Connie Cochran, APR, is the community relations officer at the City of Stockton in northern California. Publicity Committee Conference Article
I learned about the Accreditation in Public Relations (APR) a few years ago at the CAPIO Conference in San Diego. Unfortunately, I did not know about it earlier in my career, because it is the single most career enriching experience that I have ever had.
Students and recent grads are encouraged to apply for CAPIO’s Young Communicator Scholarship. The scholarship is open to undergraduate and graduate students as well recent graduates who are pursuing a career in the field of government communications. The winner of the $1,500 scholarship will be announced at CAPIO’s annual conference this April.
The deadline for entries is Friday, March 1. Entries will be judged by a panel of senior-level communications professionals. Finalists will be interviewed by phone or in person.