Public Communication Initiative
We provide workshops, consultations, and content creation to help faculty, staff, and students develop skills in adapting messages and information to various audiences in oral, visual, and mediated channels through the complementary arts of persuasion and storytelling.
The PCI is available for virtual and remote workshops, trainings, and consultations.
Contact the PCI at publiccomminitiative@unlv.edu for more information.
Topics of Expertise
- Adapting technical messages for public audiences
- Having difficult conversations - dialogue and civility
- How to tell compelling stories
- Writing for public audiences - social media, digital media, and print media
- Building persuasive arguments
- Oral and visual presentation skills
- Talking to media and doing interviews
Workshop Rates
- Half day: 4 hours
- Whole day: 8 hours
- Weekly: 5 whole days
Under 35 participants
- 1-3 hours: $400/hour
- 4 hours: $1,280
- 8 hours: $2,400
- Weekly: $11,200
35-70 participants
- 1-3 hours: $600/hour
- 4 hours: $1,920
- 8 hours: $3,600
- Weekly: $16,800
70+ participants
- 1-3 hours: $800/hour
- 4 hours: $2,560
- 8 hours: $4,800
- Weekly: $22,400
Other Services
Consultations and Edits for Existing Work
Billed per working hour.
- Documents, op-eds, publications: $200/hour
- Grants: $200/hour
- Presentations: $200/hour
Content Creation
Billed per hour of content created.
- Videos and content for classes: $1000/hour
- Lectures (audio and audio-visual): $1000/hour
- Presentations: $1000/hour
Research
The Public Communication Initiative conducts and collaborates on original research regarding public communication, communication strategies, and topics of interest to the local community. Current research initiatives include a climate survey with Governor Sisolak's office about Nevadans' opinions on climate change, strategies for communicating about vaccination safety, and scientists' perceptions of public understanding regarding nuclear energy.
Bios
Testimonies
"UNLV Law students are required to teach free legal information classes on a number of difficult subjects to members of the public who are seeking information and access to justice. The students need to be engaging and able to make legal jargon understandable to their audience. We have seen an improvement in our students' abilities to make the information engaging and understandable thanks to the training they received from Professors Bloomfield and Easter. We now include their training in our orientation every semester."
Christine Smith, Associate Dean for Public Service, Compliance and Administration, William S. Boyd School of Law
"The general law school education teaches the students legal jargon generally understood by lawyers, judges and other professionals in the legal community. It's important for the student to learn these terms, concepts and phrases in that it assists them in analyzing legal issues. However, it does a poor job in teaching the students to communicate these principles to ordinary people in the community. These are the people that we represent and are the people that serve on juries. The class taught by Professors Bloomfield and Easter help the students bridge the gap and teach legal jargon in an understandable way. These skills help demystify the legal profession so that people can understand the law and the administration of justice."
Cliff Marcek, Coordinator of Community Service, William S. Boyd School of Law
"The Public Communications Initiative (PCI) has helped our department enhance students’ experience in our Emergency and Crisis Management Master’s program. The PCI faculty provide hands-on training to students focused on improving communication skills. Students learn to deliver more effective press briefings, community notifications, and to lead groups with complex structures, all of which are important aspects in an emergency management career."
Joel D. Lieberman, Ph.D., Chair of Department of Criminal Justice, Greenspun College of Urban Affairs