By Cate Jaques, Epsom & Ewell Borough Council
As part of my Future Leaders course, I was fortunate enough to able to attend CommsCamp this year.
I have never been to an unconference before, and I wasn’t sure what to expect. It was a fantastic day and hugely valuable.
The day began with introductions from the audience, a good icebreaker! Then we were invited to join a line up to pitch a session. Each pitch was met with cheers and claps which was a great way to get things started. I had considered what pitch I might make, but in the end I didn’t go for it – although, impressively, a few of the Future Leaders cohort did which resulted in some insightful discussion later in the day.
The pitches were organised into a day of workshops and talks. Sessions included ‘Preparing spokespeople’, whether or not to ‘X’, income generation and ‘how to say **** off nicely’ (or ‘pushing back’!). The sessions were informal, supportive, and informative. The first session I attended about preparing spokespeople gave me some really practical tips around working with spokespeople and how to help them prepare for interviews.
Another session that made an impact on me was about wellbeing in the workplace. As well as sharing experiences, people in the group shared their own tips and techniques to help reduce stress – like exercise, singing and more. Hearing about how others in the industry prioritise their own wellbeing brought home the importance of that – like putting your own oxygen mask on first: we can’t do our jobs and support our colleagues and residents if we’re not feeling mentally fit and well.
I also found the session around creative storytelling inspiring. The discussion reminded me of the power of storytelling and how we can use it to reach our target audience on an emotional level, which can make such a difference when we’re trying to get a message across. It also gave me some good insights into how to find storytellers.
There was also a lunchtime jog, a tour of the University of Glasgow (which is beautiful) and, something I wasn’t expecting at the start of the day, a singalong on a stage upon which legendary bands, including Nirvana, have played. We sang Caledonia, a Scottish folk ballad that I (and a few others) knew neither the tune nor the words to – but that didn’t stop us!
Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make the day a success – and thank you to the team at LGcomms who arranged for me to attend as part of the Future Leaders programme.