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Comms Camp Scotland

We returned from Camp Scotland last week, and what an experience it was! As first-time sponsors and attendees, we weren’t quite sure what to expect, but from the moment we arrived, we were welcomed with open arms, glorious weather and a delicious curry.

 

Our session 

One of the standout moments for us was leading behaviour change session with Dan Hare. The level of engagement was amazing—everyone was eager to share ideas, ask insightful questions, and discuss best practices. It was inspiring to be part of such meaningful conversations with professionals who are deeply invested in improving communications.

What We Learned 

Beyond running our session, we had some great discussions throughout the event. Here are a few key takeaways that really stood out: 

 

A Strong Community– The support and collaboration among comms professionals in Scotland were evident. It’s clear that this is a group that values learning from each other and sharing knowledge. 

 

The Importance of Honest Conversations – It was refreshing to hear open discussions about the real challenges in communications—whether in digital, internal, or external comms. People weren’t just sharing successes but also the things they face, creating an environment of genuine learning. 

 

Understanding Scotland’s Public Sector – We’re keen to learn more about how we can best support Scotland’s public sector. Hearing first-hand about the specific challenges and successes, and we’re looking forward to continuing these conversations to see where we can add the most value. 

 

But let’s be honest — one of the quiet highlights of the day was the cake table. A simple but brilliant idea that brought people together over flapjacks, brownies, and some seriously impressive bakes. 

Reflections from Dan  

It was e-shot’s first time supporting the event and I am very happy we were able to help Leanne and her dedicated team of volunteers lay on a great show.  As an Unconference, twenty of us pitched session ideas and the agenda was set for the day. The sessions that I attended were an eclectic mix of idea sharing and serious discussion into systemic and intransigent issues.   

Not for the first time at a comms event, there was consensus on the challenge of internal communications and the crude attitudes of senior leadership to staff engagement. I also heard about tackling misinformation and disinformation within specific local communities and about engaging with young audiences.  

 It struck me that there are some distinct parallels between these three audiences and what works when engaging them:  

 

Be succinct and compelling  

Internal communications - Staff don’t have time to read war and peace from your chief exec. Young audiences -  have an incredibly short attention span. For specific local communities, simple language often matters.  

As communications professionals, it remains our responsibility to refine messaging to the audience.  

 

Be targeted  

You cannot be all things to all people. The more you can segment and deliver relevant messaging to your audience, the better. Does the audience identify with generic case studies?

 

Be empathetic  

One mouth; two ears… Do twice as much listening as speaking. If senior leadership do not understand disengaged staff, specific communities, young people, etc, then what can we do as comms professionals to educate them? If you are frustrated that they don’t understand, what data and insights can you give them?  

In doing so, accept that big studies have their own communications challenge and keep it simple with single question surveys and other small ways to measure opinions and sentiment.  

 

Behavioural change and automation  

My own session seemed to be a success. Standing room only for late arrivals and a good ten minutes of ideas and debate in the middle as I asked the audience to apply what they had learnt on behaviour change from me.  

If you were in the room and you want to learn more about the Principles of Persuasion, then this is the book that you must read.

 

A note on Glasgow  

My time at Comms Camp was short; just 24 hours and 25 minutes between arrival and departure. It was my first visit to Scotland’s second city and I was struck by the architecture and generally how nice it was.   

The West End and university area were bustling and vibrant and I would have happily spent more time there exploring. I suppose we should start planning the next one… 

A Big Thank You! 

We couldn’t have asked for a better first-time experience at Comms Camp Scotland. A huge thank you to everyone who attended our session, shared insights, and made us feel so welcome. We’re excited to keep learning, collaborating, and supporting the incredible work being done.