Communications Community of Practice

Last updated on 20 February 2025

What is the Communications CoP?

We are a vibrant community of over 500 communications professionals across Oxford University and its colleges. Formerly known as the Comms Community, this group has evolved from an informal network designed to help colleagues connect into a recognised Community of Practice (CoP) with clear priorities for advancement. It features structured groups and meet-ups based on specific specialisms or areas of interest, providing greater collaboration and support opportunities. This University-wide group complements local divisional and college communications networks.

Getting started is easy!

1. Join the community: Complete the form on the Comms Hub
2. Join our Teams channel: This is where most daily interaction happens
3. Explore the Comms Hub: Find resources and guides at communications.web.ox.ac.uk
4. Come to an event: Watch for invites to our regular sessions
5. Get in touch: Email comms.cop@admin.ox.ac.uk with any questions

Remember: You can be as involved as you want – whether staying informed through the Digest or taking an active leadership role. We're here to support you however works best for you!

What do we do?

We come together to support each other, share knowledge, solve common challenges, and make communications at Oxford better for everyone. We're focused on:

• Defining and mapping career pathways and professional development opportunities
• Sharing best practices and resources
• Supporting colleagues who are new to Oxford or working in small teams
• Making sure communications is recognised as a vital strategic function at Oxford

How can you benefit?

• Get practical help: Access expertise, templates, and guidance through our Comms Hub
• Build your network: Connect with colleagues who understand your challenges
• Develop your career: Learn about new internal University communications vacancies
• Share your expertise: Help shape how communications works at Oxford
• Feel supported: Join a community that understands your role and challenges

Help shape our future

Passionate about improving communications at Oxford? You could:

• Get involved in or lead an associated community
• Get involved with the initial activities or lead a working group on:
  • Developing and signposting to best practices [planned]
  • Exploring actions that will help advocate for the communications profession or
  • Creating the community’s operating principles and values [planned].
• Share your expertise at community events or in the Teams Group.
• Volunteer for our Steering Group (positions open every 12-18 months)

Different ways to work together

Informal groups

Want to connect with colleagues about a specific topic? You can start informal meetups anytime!

Whether it's coffee mornings to discuss social media strategies or lunch-and-learn sessions about writing skills, you don't need any formal approval to bring people together. Just post in the Teams channel to gauge interest and organise your meetup.

Associated communities

These are more structured groups focused on specific areas of communications work. They operate independently once set up, typically have regular meetings, share resources, and work on longer-term projects. Current communities include:

• Events management
• Oxford Video Makers
• Oxford Creatives
• Social Media (planned)
• Media relations and reactive/crisis communications (planned)
• Staff, student and change communications (planned)
• Marketing and CRM (planned)
• Campaigns, insight and evaluation (planned)
• Research Communications (planned)
• Web content and management (planned)

Want to start a new associated community? If you have around 8-20 interested colleagues, email comms.cop@admin.ox.ac.uk, and we'll help you get set up!

Working groups

Working groups differ from associated communities – they come together to tackle specific projects or challenges that benefit the whole communications community. Current working groups are focusing on:

• Defining and mapping communications career pathways
• Helping to establish community operating principles and values [planned]
• Developing best-practice resources and templates [planned]
• Supporting new staff and small communications teams [planned]
• Advocating for communications as a strategic function.

Working groups usually have a clear goal and timeline, disbanding once they've achieved their objective. If you spot an opportunity for improvement that could benefit everyone, propose a working group through the Teams channel or email comms.cop@admin.ox.ac.uk.

Community leadership

How we're run

Our community is supported by two key elements:

The Steering Group is a diverse team that helps coordinate our activities and make sure we're meeting community needs. It includes:

• Representatives from different parts of the University (divisions, colleges, central teams)
• Leaders from our associated communities and working groups
• Volunteer members from the wider community

The Steering Group meets frequently to coordinate community activities and support new initiatives. Membership refreshes regularly (every 12-18 months) to bring in new perspectives – anyone can put themselves forward when positions become available!

Our Sponsor (the Director of Public Affairs and Communications) helps champion our community at a senior level in the University and makes sure we have the support we need to succeed.

Current Steering Group members:

For the period starting from 2025 up to mid-2026, the Steering Group members are:

Existing associated communities:
The CoP includes three established associated communities: Events Management, Oxford Creatives, and Oxford Video Makers. Each community provides opportunities for collaboration and support within its specialism, helping members connect, share knowledge, and thrive in their areas of expertise.

Contact details

Quick links

• The Print Studio: The Print Studio offers high-quality printing with fast turnaround times
• Oxford Talks: Provides a list of mainly academic seminars and talks across the University
• The University Style Guide: Aims to provide a guide to writing and formatting documents written by staff on behalf of the University
• Visual identity guidelines: Creating a visual uniformity across all communications to promote a consistent and positive image of the University
• Social media guidance: Advice and support on managing social media at Oxford
• Event management: A collection of tools and guides for managing events at the University.

Any questions

Got a question? If there’s something that hasn’t been covered, feel free to reach out at comms.cop@admin.ox.ac.uk