The second target audience for PIOs is the internal audience, which includes:

• Organizational leadership. The PIO assesses every situation and advises leadership on public information implications. The PIO also looks for opportunities to advance the organization’s goals and facilitates leadership’s participation — for example, by setting up interviews with the news media and preparing talking points.
• Communications advisor. The PIO prepares others to speak to the public through the media, community organizations or during public events. The workforce.
• The workforce is a key player in any organization’s public information efforts. The PIO trains, informs and educates the workforce so they can support and participate in public information activities — for example, “Shop with a Cop” to buy holiday gifts for needy children.

Tell internal audiences what you are telling the media, and also let them know what the media is saying.

Internal communication provides the workforce with information that they can relay directly to the public when asked by citizens. Uniformed personnel and first responders are the main point of public contact and need to know the information their organization is putting out.