In the first few days of the lockdown, we decided to host our popular #CommsED meetups on Twitter. The aim was to offer a virtual space for education comms and marketing specialists to support each other, share ideas and discuss approaches.

It was a stressful time for everyone, with the lockdown so new, so coming together was a helpful antidote to the strangeness. There was a great response and lots of lively discussions, with the lockdown taking centre stage. We talked about positive comms strategies to adopt in the current climate, tips for hosting online events and meetings, ways to stay in touch with audiences plus the best memes and jokes we’d all seen! We thought we’d share a few things that we learned.

At a time like this, finding the right tone is crucial. We discussed how we felt about companies sending marketing and sales materials to schools in the last week or so before closure with @karen_ozjones describing this activity as “tone deaf”.

I agree. It seems a bit 'tone deaf' to try and monetise the current situation, and it'll pay dividends in the long run. #CommsEd

— Karen Jones (@karen_ozjones) March 25, 2020

The importance of being responsive to the needs of schools was also raised.

Yes. It may also be about simply nudging people to pick up stuff they already have in school or at home and have maybe under-used #CommsED

— Andrew Carrick (@EdFella) March 25, 2020

We've been speaking to the teachers at our schools & asking them how they are, thanking them for the incredible work they are doing. Have a conversation & ask what they need is much better then say we have answers #CommsED

— nowpressplay (@nowpressplay) March 25, 2020

Tilly from Now Press Play summed this up well:

A3. Be human, ask questions and have a conversation, don’t bombard but be regular & make sure it’s short & helpful #CommsEd

— nowpressplay (@nowpressplay) March 25, 2020

How can we cope with lockdown and school closures ourselves? How do we stay safe and still get the work done? This is especially challenging for people who are juggling childcare, getting to grips with new technology and navigating new comms challenges all at the same time. Tilly also shared a lovely way of coping.

I still walk my son out the front door and back in again to start nursery!! 😂 He loves it and means we have to get dressed to go out! #CommsEd

— nowpressplay (@nowpressplay) March 25, 2020

Remote working was discussed a lot. Some companies, like Pobble, already had experience as Anna Whiteley explained.

Yes, we've been a fully remote team for a while so picked up various tips along the way. More of a challenge now with lockdown (so no visiting cool cafes to work) and the kids around for lots of us too. #Commsed

— Anna Whiteley (@_AnnaWhiteley) March 25, 2020

Zoom came out as the video conferencing tool of choice but there were a lot of different experiences. It was also noted that broadcasters seemed to favour Skype.

Ironically most broadcasters seem to prefer Skype…??? #CommsEd

— Amy Sutton (@AmyatEnjoy) March 25, 2020

Overall the message was to be adaptable.

A1 I think as many of you here are sharing, people are having to adapt to home working and home schooling at the same time. With 1 older one, it's been ok here, but must be almost impossible with younger ones! (Know it is in the classroom!) #CommsED

— The FSF (@EYFSF) March 25, 2020

We all agreed that it is important to accept that how and when you work might need to change. Spending some time researching the tools that work best for you is important.

Lots of people involved in the chat were also rethinking and developing their offers to schools. There were lots of examples of organisations working rapidly to develop new tools or features to meet the needs of existing customers.

We are working out a plan to do a live streaming Audio Adventure with now>press>play – maybe native in Twitter or via Zoom…? Any suggestions for best way to share audio with the masses greatly received! #CommsED

— nowpressplay (@nowpressplay) March 25, 2020

A1 We've been busy bringing forward new features that have helped the customers. Also sharing all the amazing things that have been going on. It's great to see so many edu people sharing things as well as being so creative! #CommsED

— The FSF (@EYFSF) March 25, 2020

Incidentally, at Pedroza Comms, we’ve found that all our clients are rethinking and developing their offers to schools too. We’ve rethought numerous PR plans, developed lots of angles and targeted new audiences.

Our advice is; don’t be afraid to put current projects on hold and change your direction temporarily. Make some time to step back and identify ways that you can adapt and develop your offer.

Join our next CommsED chat

We hope that you find these insights useful. Our next CommsED chat will take place on Twitter at 2 pm on the 6^th of May. To get involved, search #CommsED on Twitter. If you need any support during this time, we’d love to chat. You can email us or tweet Anna @PedrozaComms or Susan @EdCommsPR

To find out more about our CommsED meetups, click here.